Land Reforms 2.0 will not benefit landless: Bhoo Avakasha Samithi

The United Democratic Front (UDF) government’s proposed ‘Land Reforms 2.0’ will neither benefit the landless, including Dalits, Adivasis and plantation workers, nor facilitate land pooling for development projects as claimed by the government, observed the Bhoo Avakasha Samithi, a platform of organisations working towards securing land for the landless through comprehensive land reforms.

Addressing the media here on Wednesday, Samithi office-bearers said the team entrusted by the government with implementing the proposed Land Reforms 2.0 was primarily focussed on examining the legality of converting plantations into multi-crop land, determining the extent of landholdings and easing land acquisition for public projects. The team has not been mandated to address the pressing concerns of the landless in the State. This, they said, amounts to reneging on the UDF’s election manifesto.

The UDF had also promised to take over plantations held on the strength of forged documents and distribute them among the landless. As per the Rajamanickam report, Central Travancore alone has around 5.50 lakh acres of plantations that are available for government takeover. Permitting plantations to be converted into multi-crop fields and relaxing landholding limits will pave the way for the legalisation of illegally held plantations and their subsequent sale in smaller parcels. The move will provide legal loopholes for those in unauthorised possession of land. Litigation pertaining to violations of landholding limits will also be rendered ineffective.

Landholding limits were critical in ending feudalism. Doing away with them would lead to a new form of feudalism and corporate landlordism. Land pooling for development projects will not be possible either. The UDF has sabotaged the possibility of taking over and distributing nearly 10 lakh acres of illegally held plantations to the landless, while also earmarking land for development. The move to amend the legislation governing wetlands under the pretext of promoting tourism will adversely affect fisherfolk and farmers.

The mission constituted to study the law governing land reforms should be called off. The promise in the UDF manifesto to acquire plantations should be honoured. The Samithi will organise a ‘Bhoo Avakasha’ (land rights) march from Kasaragod to Thiruvananthapuram beginning on November 7. A land conclave will be held in Thiruvananthapuram in the last week of November. A comprehensive list of the landless will also be prepared. A State committee meeting of the Samithi to fine-tune details of the land conclave will be held at Gandhi Bhavan in Ernakulam on October 17.

M.K. Dasan, State secretary, CPI(ML) Red Star; K. Ambujakshan, working chairman, Ambedkarite Democratic Front (ADF); M. Geethanandan, general convenor, ADF; I.R. Sadanandan, chairman, ADF; and A.K. Bhaskaran and K.K. Jayanthan, both of ADF, were present.