A land rights conference against land loot was organized under the joint banners of the CPI(ML) and AIARLA on 11 January 2019 at Kolua Chautarva in Western Champaran District.
Addressing the conference, CPI(ML) District Committee member Com Tajuddin Mansuri said that more loot is going on in Western Champaran under Modi-Nitish than even under British rule. Parchas of most of the 1,37,000 parcha-holders across Bihar are being cancelled. Extra land from sealing is being illegally registered. The Nitish government has taken a decision that the land mafias who have not come under sealing or who have fraudulently escaped sealing will henceforth be exempt from the sealing law.
The other speakers pointed out that the land mafias have captured faazil lands given under sealing to 150 poor in Nada and Kapradhika, 70 poor in Tonva Tribhvani (Parsauni), 50 poor in Bholapur, and 60 poor in Bhairoganj village. More than 1,000 poor got parchas and possession of land, but the land mafias captured their lands in collusion with the government. On the other hand, the government is unleashing repression on the poor who have settled on or are farming lands in order to evict them.
CPI(ML) State Committee member Sunil Yadav said that the Delhi-Patna governments are working at the behest of big corporate companies to create land banks for them. They are colluding with land mafias who are illegally registering lands. 10,000 families including shopkeepers settled on Betiya Raj land in Bansi Bazaar (Madhubani Block) are being evicted. Instead of recognizing the rights under the Forest Rights Act of people settled on and farming on jungle lands, the BTR administration and the government have announced that they will confiscate their sugar cane crops. Sunil Yadav said that this conference would strengthen and sharpen the struggle for land rights. He called upon the people to make the forthcoming ‘Save Democracy-Save People’s Rights’ rally on 5 February 2019 a historic success.
