By IANS
New Delhi : The 25,000-strong army of the landless marching on the national capital are now close to their destination. Soon, they will face their real challenge – a positive response to their demand for access to land.
The Janadesh Yatra (march for the rights of the people) — aimed at sensitising the government on issues related to land and resolving land disputes — started Oct 2 in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
The marchers, who were 80 km from the national capital Tuesday morning, are expected to reach New Delhi Oct 30.
They have come from 17 different states, including Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Organised by Gandhian organisation Ekta Parishad, the march, in which there are 11,000 women participants, has been joined by a sprinkling of supporters from other countries.
Ramesh Sharma, who is one of the campaign coordinators, said that the marchers have four major demands.
“One of the primary demands is that the National Land Reforms Policy and the National Land Reforms Commission must be announced on Oct 28 as the government has promised.
“We have already met Congress president Sonia Gandhi and have submitted a letter to Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, the rural development minister. If there is a delay even after this, the marchers have decided to hold an indefinite strike here,” Sharma told IANS.
The second demand is that land should be given to the landless people — the Dalits, tribals, migrants and those of the agricultural community. The marchers also demand that courts clear pending land dispute cases quickly and that women’s land rights be documented.
“There should be changes in the land acquisition policy,” Sharma said.
Fighting fatigue, braving the heat during the day and the chilly nights, the march has obviously not been easy. But the organisers have ensured all possible arrangements to make the journey less taxing.
Harbhajan, an activist marching along, said: “The organisers have set up community kitchens, and have water tankers and generators to keep the whole area lit in the night as volunteers patrol camp sites.
“Every hundred metres they have public toilets — makeshift polythene-covered cubicles. Half a dozen ambulances with doctors take care of the health needs as well.”
He added that the marchers are getting a lot of support from the locals in the places where they camp.
“Many farmers have donated wheat and vegetables to us. NGOs have been distributing blankets, as temperatures fall sharply at night,” he said.