Kisan Sangharsh Yatra in Bhojpur : Demands Irrigation, Construction of Dams and Conservation of Water
A Kisan Sangharsh Yatra led by the All India Kisan Mahasabha began at Sahar on 20 January 2020 after offering floral tribute at the memorial for people’s leader Comrade Ram Naresh Ram and a meeting addressed by Tarari MLA Sudama Prasad. Subsequently meetings were held at Kirkiri, Sandesh and Pavana in Bhojpur. The Yatra then reached Piro where garlands were offered at Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Memorial, and Jagdishpur where freedom fighter Babu Kunwar Singh was honored and his memorial garlanded. The next stop was Uttardaha where a meeting was held.
The Yatra was greeted with enthusiasm at all places and slogans were raised against the anti-farmer policies of the Central and State governments. The meetings at different places were addressed by prominent Kisan Mahasabha and CPIML leaders including Rajaram Singh, Bisheshwar Yadav, Ramadhar Singh, Kripa Narayan Singh, Rajendra Patel, Sudama Prasad, Chandradeep Singh and Arun Singh. They said that the central and state governments are diverting people’s attention from critical issues like agrarian crisis, education, health, inflation and economic slowdown with communal and divisive issues like Mandir-Masjid, CAA-NRC-NPR etc.
The leaders said that Nitish Kumar is wasting crores of rupees on propaganda for the Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali Scheme, whereas the Kadvan dam construction could have been completed for much less expenditure. Nitish Kumar is playing cunning games with the people on CAA-NRC-NPR by supporting CAA and at the same time opposing NRC and remaining silent on NPR. They demanded immediate repeal of CAA-NRC-NPR.
On 21 January the Yatra reached Baradh village in Brahmapur Block, Buxar District where they were welcomed warmly and a meeting was organized. As the Yatra moved forward, street meetings (Nukkad Sabhas) were organized at Bagen Gola, Kesath and Nawanagar. The next meeting was at Maliyabagh in Rohtas District. Sudama Prasad addressed the meeting and said that the Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali Scheme is anti-poor and anti-farmer; about 10,000 poor people have so far been issued eviction notices from government land under this scheme. Farmers are suffering huge crop losses but the government remains indifferent. He further said that Rs 24524 crores are being spent on Jal-Jeevan-Hariyali whereas with only Rs 4500 crores the Kadvan Dam could be constructed, but Nitish Kumar is not thinking in this direction. The Indrapuri Reservoir is the biggest water conservation scheme which will increase ground water level, conserve environment, and also feed the people of Bihar.
Comrade Rajaram Singh said that the government is talking of taking the waters of Ganga from Patna to Gaya by ‘lift irrigation’ but this is utter nonsense; Gaya is 59 meters higher than Patna, while Kadvan is 31 meters lower than Gaya. Water can be easily given to Gaya if the Kadvan dam is built.
The Yatra appealed to farmers to unite and fight to save Bihar’s oldest irrigation project and invited them to attend the dharna on 5 March in front of the Bihar Vidhan Sabha. The Yatra also called upon to make the Vidhan Sabha march on 24 February against CAA-NRC-NPR a resounding success.
