Intensify Struggle For Land & Employment and Against Indebtedness

Indian peasants are undergoing acute suffering. Added to the long-standing hunger of land-starved poor and landless peasants and oppression of peasant masses, is the growing indebtedness of the peasantry due to rising cost of agricultural production. Indian agriculture is falling prey to the greed of imperialist sharks and their collaborators, Indian big business and landlords. Starvation deaths of rural poor and growing suicides by the peasants have become the order of the day as the Govts. give up even pretense to land reforms and embark on increasing the stranglehold of MNCs over Indian agriculture. Rural India with over 70% of India’s population, 61% of them dependent on agriculture, and through which must lie the path of self-reliant genuine development of the country, teems with intensifying contradictions. Not only the old woes continue but the new are added to increase the burden on the back of peasant masses, already bent with old burdens. This increasing burden and the resultant growing misery and destitution has made conditions in rural India favourable for intensification of the struggle of the peasantry against present semifeudal semicolonial system.

Indian people, particularly its vast peasant masses, groan under the weight of the policies being implemented by the successive govts. Their anger is however channelized into changing the govt. which brings no solace as all ruling class parties stand committed to the policies in the interests of imperialists, comprador big business houses and big landlords. BJP led NDA govt. which rode to power on the slogan of swadeshi, further intensified the pro-videshi policies of the earlier govts., removed quantitative restrictions on imports even ahead of schedule and gloated in the make believe world of India Shining. But the people did not feel good and threw out these psuedo-patriots. In came UPA Govt. with original reformers, the Congress leading it, further accelerating the implementation of those very policies. However, this time CPM led ‘left’ front, providing crucial support for survival for this govt., exposed themselves more as they supported new patent act and other anti-people measures. They are hand in glove with the implementation of the new economic policies. What was restricted to West Bengal, emerged on all India scene. 

 Successive govts. have been adding to the plight of the peasants with attempts to sidetrack and even reverse the land reforms, neglect of the agriculture, falling rate of govt. investment in agriculture and petty allocation in annual budget. On the other hand, the govt. is increasing defense expenditure, forging closer military ties with US imperialist war-mongerers and relishing strategic alliance with them. US imperialists are egging rulers of both India and Pakistan for arms race by offering them sophisticated weapons, a race which is not in the interest of people of the two countries, particularly peasantry in India.

Indian ruling classes have been pursuing policies of national betrayal by facilitating intensification of exploitation of vast natural resources and labour power of our country, of increasing stranglehold of imperialist capital in all spheres including agriculture in the name of development. They have repeatedly betrayed the national interests as exemplified by Doha and Geneva not to talk of earlier WTO agreement. While Congress and BJP remain the main vehicles of these anti-people and anti-national policies, other parties of ruling classes including CPM and CPI too subscribe to the same imperialist dependent model of development in service of the big bourgeois, big landlord classes and inimical to the interests of the people. They all are opposed to self-reliant people-oriented development which must make increasing the purchase power of Indian people, particularly its peasantry, its starting point. This entails giving land to the landless and poor peasants, protecting the middle peasants and allow rich peasants while liquidating landlordism and overthrowing the yoke of imperialist loot and plunder. Last five years have clearly demonstrated that the ruling classes have gone further ahead against the interests of peasant masses and people at large.

Govt. is showing the overflowing godowns to paint a rosy picture of agricultural production while the fact is that rate of growth of agricultural production has declined. While it declined from an average of 3.4% in 9th decade to 2.2% in the last decade of the last century, it has further decreased to a mere 1.67% lately. It is lower than the rate of population growth at 1.9%. Per head food grain availability has declined from 510 gms/day in 1991 to a mere 417 gms/day in 2001. From this it is clear that stocks are piling up because of declining purchasing power of the overwhelming majority of the people while state of agriculture grows more precarious.

Repulse the attempts to reverse land reforms; Advance the struggle for occupation of surplus, benami, bhoodan, banjar, govt., endowment lands under the occupation of landlords

Nearly 55% of the rural population consists of agricultural labourers and poor peasants owning 0 to 0.2 hectares of land. On the other hand, land concentration at the top is increasing. Not only are the govts. not implementing land reforms, they are even reversing them. State govts. of Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Jharkhand have taken steps to reverse land reforms while even West Bengal govt. has diluted it in the name of agro-businesses. There is widespread and orchestrated propaganda that land reforms should be abandoned as they compromise the competitiveness of Indian agriculture. The state of implementation of land reforms can be gauged by the statement of Shri Sharad Pawar that only 53 lakh acres of vest land has been distributed while it was estimated in 1956 by Mahanabolis Committee that 6 crore 30 lakh acre land was available for distribution with the ceiling of 20 acres. The truth of implementation of land reforms by the ruling classes is that only 1.25% of agricultural land has been redistributed.

Besides attempts by the ruling classes at reversing land reforms, the higher judiciary has also pitched in to evict the poor peasants from land. In the name of environment the age old sifting cultivation (podu) is sought to be outlawed while Supreme Court ordered eviction of all ‘encroachments’ by tribals after 1980. This would result in massive eviction of tribals who have no other means of livelihood. A sharp struggle in which AIKMS also played an important role stopped implementation of this anti-people order at many places but the Damocles’ sword of eviction hangs over crores of tribal peasants of the country. Their long standing demand for self administration and cultural development too remains a dream.

Again in the name of environment Supreme Court ordered change of character of land which had been distributed to dalits and backward sections and their eviction from the allotted lands. Higher judiciary is targeting the poor and oppressed sections for the so-called protection of environment while it is the nexus of big capitalists, contractors and corrupt officials which is responsible for the damage to the environment.

Judiciary has been intervening in land disputes on behalf of the landlords. Lakhs of acres of distributable land is tied up in litigations. On the other hand beneficiaries have no right to intervene in these disputes. Bihar govt. has constituted state revenue board thereby removing the settlement machinery further away from the local people.

Tenant peasants are a suffering lot. In most of the states, their tenures are not secured and they are evicted at will while extraction from them is high. In West Bengal where bargadari has been recorded, ‘left’ front govt. is not granting them ownership right.

While the govts. are backtracking on giving land to the landless and poor peasants, they are allotting large tracts of agricultural land to MNCs and corporate houses. Besides contractors in league with landlords and ruling class politicians corner stone cutting, sand mining and trade in timber and other forest produce.

Social oppression and attacks by the landlords and their goondas including their private armies against agricultural labourers and poor peasants continue unabated. A large number of these rural poor belong to dalits and backward castes, tribals and minorities who are subject to the attacks by the landlords. Ruling classes try to divide them on caste and communal lines to break their unity against the oppression of landlords.

Dwindling employment in rural areas and struggle of agricultural labourers and landless poor peasants

While agricultural labourers and poor peasants starve for land, the employment in the villages dwindles away forcing rural poor to migrate in search of jobs. Agricultural labourers get employment for only 137 days a year. On the other hand increase in wage rates hardly keeps company with the rise in prices of essential commodities. At many places the wage rates are abysmally low. On the other hand the landlords and rich peasants employ machines to overcome the resistance of villages labourers thereby further reducing the employment and wage rates in the rural areas. The scale of the problem can be gauged from the data of 55th round of NSS that out of a total of 373 million workers, 298 million work in villages. Women labourers get less wages than their male counterparts besides being subjected to harassment and oppression by the landlords and their henchmen.

The rural employment guarantee scheme of UPA govt. is in fact a mockery of the unemployment problem in the rural India. The petty allocation of eleven thousand crore rupees, bulk of which will line the pockets of ruling politicians and bureaucrats, is grossly insufficient for any meaningful solution of the problem.

The govts. pay only lip service to the conditions of agricultural labourers, most exploited section of Indian society. Despite repeated commitment Central Govt. and most the state govts. have not enacted comprehensive legislation for agricultural labourers. There is no safety for them from accidents and illnesses nor any rights during and after work.

Agricultural labourers and poor peasants have to struggle for house sites. The number of house sites allotted in govt. schemes are grossly inadequate and there is widespread corruption in these schemes. The land for house sites remains under the occupation of landlords and vested interests. In fact the successive govts. announce a number of schemes for rural poor which are mostly re-circulation of the existing schemes.

Because of lack of land and growing unemployment, rural poor are forced to eat inedibles, even dying from starvation while governments boast about overflowing godowns. Malnutrition has increased specially amongst their children.

Peasant Suicides and Growing Indebtedness : Attack of New Economic Policies

With the advent of WTO peasant suicides became widespread. Thousands of peasants in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Punjab, Maharashtra and other states were forced to end their lives demonstrating deep-seated crisis in Indian agriculture. These suicides by landowning peasants, mostly middle peasants, were due to sharply growing indebtedness of peasantry.

The growth of the indebtedness of peasants is due to rising cost of agricultural inputs and stagnation in the prices of agricultural produce. The WB-IMF-WTO dictated policies have further deepened the crisis of imperialist dependent model of agricultural growth. Ruling classes did not undertake the development according to the need and conditions of Indian people but to absorb the inputs like fertilizer, modern seeds, agricultural machinery etc. produced by imperialist MNCs. In the five years ending 2001, the use of fertilizer grew three fold while agricultural production has been going down. Most of the proceeds of agricultural produce have been going to imperialist and comprador capitalists while peasants sink further in debts. Supply of spurious seeds, fertilizer and pesticides has further added to the woes of peasantry.

While over a lakh crore rupees of nationalized banks is with big business houses as NPAs, govts. have been neglecting the need of institutional loans to the peasants. Whatever loan schemes are unveiled by the government are meant for and cornered by landlords and a section of rich peasants, while private money lending at usurious rates by money lenders, landlords and commission agents has grown. A nexus of suppliers of inputs, moneylenders and tradesmen in agricultural produce is squeezing the peasants. Cooperative banks lie in shambles and are being closed down. The government agencies continue to attach properties of common farmers for loan recovery while the mortgaged lands of the landlords who owe crores of rupees is never touched.

Pro-imperialist policies playing havoc with agriculture

The policy direction of earlier NDA and present UPA govts. is to privatize the agricultural inputs and markets. Much talk is there about abolishing subsidies to agriculture while there are very little as compared to US and OECD countries. US gives annual subsidy of about 17 lakh rupees per hectare while in India it is nominal and whatever there is it goes to chemical industry. US gives subsidy of 193 dollar per ton of soybean while its cost is 155 dollars per ton! Govt. of India by lowering import duty on soybean ruined the Indian peasants. Several sectors of agricultural production like rubber, silk, coconut, edible oils etc. have suffered from lifting of quantitative restrictions on their import. Peasants have been ruined and there has been no government plan to purchase their unsold produce.

Govts. have been embarking on privatization of irrigation, electricity, seed, marketing etc. with central govt. tying its assistance to states carrying out privatization. Privatization of electricity distribution and generation and pani panchayats are resulting in sharp increase in power bills and irrigation cess. The whole rivers are being sold to private companies. Whole areas suffer from drought and lowering of water table specially in Punjab and Andhra Pradesh and there is no plan for long term remedy. Congress govt. in Punjab had abolished free power to agriculture in Punjab. Though free power was restored, cess on canal water continues. Govt. has repeatedly increased diesel prices which will have adverse effect on agriculture. The new seed bill introduced by UPA Govt. prepares the ground for increasing the domination of MNCs over vast seed market by outlawing the sale of seeds by peasants by making registration obligatory, testing by private laboratories and empowering seed inspectors to break open the houses of peasants and the like. The new patent law passed by UPA govt. with support of CPM led ‘Left’ Front in tune with TRIPs agreement of WTO, will have adverse effect on agriculture and related industries while drug prices will escalate.

Central Govt. is pressurizing the state govts. to change Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee Acts to allow the entry of private sector in marketing. This is in line with Govt. move to gradually dismantle FCI and MSP thereby leaving the peasants at the mercy of profit greedy sharks. Tribals in large areas are crudely exploited by traders operating in forest produce. Whereever Govt. has cooperatives for buying their produce, the prices are too low.

Govt. is paying scant regard to the problems of peasantry despite change of guard at the Centre and in states. Vast areas of the country suffer annually from drought and flood reducing millions of peasants to destitution. The relief measures are scanty and full of corruption while there is no attempt to address to the basic causes of these disasters which are the result of the policies being pursued by the ruling classes. On the other hand, large number of peasant masses particularly tribals are being evicted from their homes and rendered destitute for so-called industrialization without proper, adequate and advance rehabilitation. Govt. is paying little attention to developing irrigation, and that too concentrating on irrigation used for horticulture. Govt. is talking of diversification jeopardizing the food security of the country even as area under foodgrain cultivation is declining.

NDA Govt. had advocated encouragement to contract farming in its new agricultural policy document, and the present govt. too is pursuing the same, which ensures the absorption of the inputs supplied by MNCs and corporate houses without any provision for buying the produce of the peasants. Corporates, including MNCs are directly engaging farmers to produce commercial crops for their industry and exports, thus undermining the natural production cycle. Entry of corporates in salt production has ruined salt farmers.

Poor out of ambit of social planning

Besides promotion of globalization, liberalization and privatization under the WTO regime, privatization of health and education is depriving the vast rural poor of even basic facilities of health care and education to their children. The girl children are suffering the most. PDS is being gradually dismantled. Govt. is withdrawing from social responsibilities under the cloak of transferring them to local bodies and also handing them over to NGOs. Already deprived rural poor will suffer the most from these policies.

Struggle is the only way out

With govts. pursuing anti-national, anti-people and anti-peasant policies and all ruling class parties subscribing to these policies, the only way to save the peasantry and the country from ruin is by intensifying struggle. Whereever such struggles have come to the fore, peasant suicides have fallen. Peasant struggle in Punjab could slow down the govt. drive to dismantle FCI and MSP, people’s struggle in AP could slow down the rise in power tariff, struggle of tribal peasantry could stop eviction in many places. Struggles of rural poor in vast rural areas for land and wages are posing threat to the ruling classes.

Govt. is resorting to repression of peasant struggles, the revolutionary struggles of rural poor being their prime target. Attacks of landlords, their goondas, cadres of ruling class parties and repression by state security forces continue. Many comrades have sacrificed their lives. Farce of repealing POTA was enacted with its provisions being transferred to Unlawful Activities (Prohibition) Act and cases still continuing under the repealed POTA. Struggling peasants are being harassed while landlords and their henchmen maraud with their sophisticated weapons.

Continuation of economic policies of NDA govt. by the UPA govt. supported by CPI, CPM shows the policy consensus among the ruling class parties. The only answer is to intensify struggle of peasant masses for land, employment and against indebtedness and pro-imperialist policies. The agrarian revolutionary movement is the main force of the new democratic revolutionary transformation of the country.

To intensify the struggle, AIKMS should be developed by unleashing the peasant struggles and strengthening the organization. While opportunities for joint struggle with forces struggling against the present policies should be utilized, the main emphasis should be on developing peasant struggles under revolutionary leadership. Peasant struggles for all types of land, particularly those under illegal occupation of landlords should be intensified. Struggles for employment and higher wage rates should be developed. Struggles against indebtedness, moneylenders and pro-imperialist policies should be developed. Resistance against attacks by landlords and their goondas should be developed and struggle for demolishing their authority in rural areas should be intensified.

AIKMS calls upon the peasants of India to join the organization on a big scale and develop struggles on following issues:

1.         Quit WTO, withdraw policies of globalization, privatization and liberalization.

2.         Occupy surplus land, benami land, bhoodan land, endowment land, banjar land, govt. land, trust lands, lands of defunct cooperative societies and common land under the occupation of landlords.

3.         Fight against eviction from forest lands and to save podu lands and for allotment of their pattas. Fight for occupation of patta lands and against eviction from such lands.

4.         Fight for reduction in land ceiling, for reclassification of newly irrigated lands and against allotment of agricultural land to MNCs and big business houses.

5.         Fight against eviction of tenants and for their ownership rights.

6.         Fight for employment opportunities in villages and for better wage rates. For comprehensive legislation for agricultural labour.

7.         Fight for house sites and money for construction, for drinking water and against dismantling of PDS.

8.         Fight for joint pattas and equal wages for women. Fight against patriarchy.

9.         Struggle for lowering of costs of agricultural inputs, for remunerative prices for agricultural produce and for government procurement of forest produce at fair prices.

10.       Fight for comprehensive crop insurance scheme for all crops, taking village as a unit. Central and state govts. should pay insurance premium of the poor and middle peasants.

11.       Fight for institutional loans. Fight against harassment of peasants for loan recovery by both government and private lenders.

12.       Struggle for loan waiver for peasants and for free power supply and irrigation.

13.       Fight for increasing of capital investments in agriculture and completion of on going, pending and contemplated irrigation projects.

14.       Struggle against privatization of power, irrigation, health and education.

15.       Struggle for rights of peasantry over seeds. Against Seed Bill and Patent Act. Fight against sale of spurious seeds, fertilizer and insecticides.

16.       Struggle for measures against floods and drought and against displacement without prior and adequate rehabilitation.

17.       Struggle against dismantling of govt. procurement, FCI, MSP and against new policy on marketing of agricultural produce. Struggle against contract and corporate farming.

18.       Fight attacks by landlords and their goondas and Govt. repression. For abolition of Arms Act.

19.       Fight for withdrawal of all cases and release of activists of the peasant movement from jail. Fight against fake encounters and for civil rights.

20.       Fight against caste oppression, discrimination and atrocities. Fight against casteism, obscurantist social customs. Fight against communalism of all hues taking majority communalism as the main target.

September 9-11 , 2005                                                            All India Conference

                                                                                    All India Kisan Mazdoor Sabha