Kaparada Taluka in Valsad District, Gujarat reverberated with the slogan 'Rise up, adivasis, for your freedom, Follow the path of Bhagat-Bhim-Birsa Munda!' on 23 March, the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, Sukhdev and Rajguru. This day was observed as Adivasi Demands Day on the initiative of the Adivasi Sangharsh Morcha. Far from implementing the rights given to adivasis under the Forest Rights Act 2006, the government is snatching away even their ancestral cultivable lands. Despite the forests in the entire Eastern belt of Gujarat being registered in the 5th Schedule, the adivasi community has got no benefits from this. A mockery is being made of the PESA Act, the Samta judgement and the Adivasi Advisory Council. Therefore, a memorandum centering on the basic issues of adivasis was sent to the Chief Minister of Gujarat and Prime Minister of India through the Kaparada Mamlatdar.
The basic problems of adivasis also include the 'development' done by the government. So far in the name of development, huge dams have been built by snatching away adivasis' land, water and forests with either no or nominal compensation. In this series, 7 big dams are going to be built under the Par-Tapi-Narmada River Linking Project. The Adivasi Sangharsh Morcha and CPIML gave raised a strong demand to stop this because this destructive project will completely ruin the entire adivasi community in South Gujarat. In the interests of adivasis it is imperative to stop this project immediately.
The meeting that preceded the rally was addressed by CPIML Gujarat State in-charge Ranjan Ganguly, Office Secretary Amit Patanwadia, Adivasi Sangharsh Morcha leaders Kamlesh Gurav and Haresh Bhai, and AIPWA leaders Vanita Ben and Suman Ben. After the meeting hundreds of adivasis, men and women, young and old, marched through the streets of Kaparada raising slogans and submitted the Adivasi Charter of Demands to the Mamlatdar (Taluka Magistrate).
