Land struggle in Rohtas district in Bihar is gradually sharpening and taking on the shape of a veritable ‘land war’. The democratic and revolutionary land struggle in the region, led by the CPI(ML) - New Democracy and AIKMS, has drawn a clear battle line between the landlords and the landless poor peasantry in the areas of struggle. All the ruling class political forces have come together on one platform. Their aim is to crush the revolutionary land struggle, no matter what the cost. Those leaders who have made a place for themselves in the corridors of power by using the names of social reformers like Lohia and Ambedkar, are also being exposed.

Challenging the landlord police nexus in various blocks of Rohtas, the agitating landless poor peasants have succeeded in freeing 299 acres and 61 dismil of land from the clutches of the landlords in 2002. Of this land, the landless peasantry has sown paddy on 153 acres, and the description of this is as given below:

Note: Rest of the land is uncultivated.

The land struggle on in Rohtas is as yet based on the demand to implement the Govt.’s land reforms. That is why the land occupied is mainly ceiling surplus land, Govt. lands of different types and land under share-cropping, all of which the landlords were occupying. Our organization started mass movements to challenge the ownership and occupation of such lands by the landlords. Many programmes were taken up before the District Administration and local administration for investigation into the illegal occupation of these lands by landlords and for distribution of these lands among landless. But when the administrative machinery took no steps for this despite assurances to the contrary, our organization started organizing the landless poor peasants to occupy such lands. Tired of the false promises of the administration, the landless poor determinedly decided to occupy such lands and till them, of course after due preparation and in proportion to their strength to maintain the occupation. The peasantry understood that the land reform laws of the Govt. are like the proverbial elephant’s tusks- only for show but not for use. In many villages, the organization of landless stood like a steel wall before the landlords and their armed hoodlums in this struggle for occupying the lands. In many villages, seeing the iron determination of the landless, the landlords and their goons were forced to retreat or run away.

On 28th July 2002, in village Jogipur of Kargahar block, the feudal armed gang which attacked the struggling peasantry, was forced to retreat after a short encounter. On 1st August armed gangs of the landlords of village Bhagwali of this block attacked the landless of Jogwalia village, but were repulsed by them. The landlord of Redia village of Chenari block planned to attack the landless of Kaithi, but could not gather the courage to do so. Similar situations were seen in relation to the land struggles in Laheri, Gobardhanpur and Bahoranpur, where armed hoodlums of the landlords could not last out before the militant villagers. These land struggles have brought about a qualitative change in the situation. Whereas earlier our organizations used to demand investigations and land distribution from the Govt. officials, now that the landless poor peasantry is beginning to challenge the occupation and ownership of the landlords on the basis of its own strength and preparation, it is the landlords who are running for shelter to the administrative officials. Even though the administration sent the police to almost every village where land struggle was on in a bid to stop land occupation by the fighting peasantry, the administration and the police had to retreat before the anger and the organized strength of the peasants. In this period the administration has proceeded against us using Section 144 for land capture in all the areas where land has been occupied by us, which has been contested by our organization in the court. Alongside, we have begun a political agitation against the double faced policies of the Govt. and the administration.

In village Kherhi of Nokha block some curbs had been imposed by the people struggling under our leadership on the personal lands of some close supporters of Ranvir Sena. The police intervened in favour of the Ranvir Sena supporters and tried to get farming done on the disputed land, which was resolutely opposed by the struggling people. Eventually the police had to return empty handed. However later, due to the intervention of some independent and rich peasants of the area, we lifted our curbs on the condition that the owners would no longer maintain relations with the Ranvir Sena. There is widespread tension in a dozen odd villages in the eastern part of Nokha area where struggle for political and social supremacy is on between the landlords and the landless. In July last, Ranvir Sena supporters tried to reoccupy land occupied by the landless in the eastern part of Bhavadehri village, but the landless poor peasantry smashed their designs.

A new problem has cropped up in the path of the struggle for implementation of land reforms whose clear solution will have to be found. Like the other scams and scandals in Bihar, the land scam is becoming a problem in the path of our struggle. Both the officialdom, and the Govt. are involved in this land scam. Our organization has brought many land scams to light, but the shameless Bihar Govt. and administration remain unfazed and unresponsive. Rather the police and administration have taken positions against the landless poor peasants and in support of the land-Mafia involved in the scams. Prominent among the scams exposed by us are those involving 15 acres ceiling surplus land of Laheri Math, 33 acres ceiling surplus land of landlord Sonamati Kuwar Jaganarayan Rai of Badiha, 20 acres ceiling surplus land in in Kherhi,  22 acres of Bihar Govt. land in Nuaaw and 6 acres Bihar Govt. land in Orang along with the 302 acres of ceiling surplus land of Dayal Farm. It should be noted that in order to protect the 15 acres land of Laheri Math from ceiling laws, untraced people of unknown addresses as well as local land-Mafia members have been propped up as share-croppers. In Badhiha, the 33 acres of land remaining after allotting 4 units to landlords have been falsely tied up in court cases of title suits. Even after the dismissal of the title suit case, the 33 acres surplus land was in the occupation of the landlords till last year. In Khairi, the Land Revenue Minister has reopened the dispute on 20 acres against the order of the High Court to distribute it. The Dayal family has set up another farm on paper to save the 302 acre Dayal Farm from ceiling laws. The Dayal family, which itself stays in Kanpur, has sold lands to local landlords in order to evict the share-croppers on it. Land-mafias in Nuaav and Orang have given bribes to the Ceiling Dept. and got 22 acres and 6 acres land respectively allocated in their names even though the Ceiling Dept. has no right to allocate land of Bihar Govt. to any individual.

Our organization has appealed to the Land Revenue Minister and also other land reform officials to investigate the conspiracies in these land scams, but no investigations have begun as yet. Actually, both the Govt. and the administration are guilty of land scams and to even expect any justice on the appeals made by us is itself useless. In this situation the possibility has risen of a direct clash between the peasantry and the Govt. and officials. When the landless peasants of Laheri sowed paddy in 5 acres of the 15 acres disputed land of the Math on 18th July, the very next day Gopali Yadav, buyer of land from non-existent share-croppers, turned up on behalf of the land-Mafia with paramilitary forces in large numbers and quite a few officials. They went to the land and crushed the paddy crop sown by the landless. The landless could not immediately oppose the sudden action by the administration and police, but it cannot be postponed at the time of reaping of the crop. In this manner, a situation has risen of direct struggle between the people and the administration.

The immediate aim of the land struggle of the landless going on under the leadership of our Party and AIKMS is to expose the conspiracy of the land-mafias and the Govt. in the various land scams and the reality of land reforms before the vast masses. Our real struggle, which is the central point of our peasant struggle, is the seizure of the landlords’ own lands by the landless poor peasantry and the productive forces in the village. All the political parties of the ruling classes are uniting to stop our democratic and revolutionary peasant struggle. The local landlords are getting together and gathering the lumpen elements and the bad characters to crush our struggle.

In the areas of our peasant struggle, revisionist Liberation has also openly come out against our ongoing land occupation struggle. The breaking up of its mass base is the main reason behind Liberation’s desperation. When Liberation turned away from land struggle in the various blocks of Rohtas, the landless poor peasantry began deserting that Party and joined us. Two years ago, the landless peasants of Jogipur, Khairi, Bahoranpur, Gobardhanpur, Dhamanagar, Supabigha, Vishunbigha, Mahuari etc. villages were with Liberation, but despite their being with them for 10-15 years, Liberation did not solve the land question of the landless and they thus joined our organization. When our organization intensified the land struggle in these villages to solve the land question of the landless and led the landless to occupy the land illegally in possession of the landlords, in annoyance the leaders of Liberation began joining the opposition of the landlords. In village Kheri, on 18th August, they joined the landlords and exhibited their might in trying to enforce landlords’ control over the paddy crops sown on land occupied under our leadership. Liberation is organizing the local landlords against the struggle being taken up by us for the distribution of the land of Dayal Farm. In addition, it is spreading false rumours to malign our struggle. Especially active in this is Liberation’s MLA from Karakat, who is camping in this area and trying to organize a particular caste against our organization. They are also pressurizing the police to unleash repression on our organization. Liberation is acting as the goons of the landlords in Murlipur village of Kaimur terai and Nuaav village of Chenari where land struggles are on under our leadership, and trying to intimidate the landless poor peasantry. Though there are deep ideological and political disputes between Liberation and our organization, we have not taken any steps against them except political opposition. But Liberation is making many attempts to put difficulties in the way of our mass movements. In view of this we have intensified our ideological and political struggle against Liberation.

CPI(ML)–New Democracy and AIKMS have over the past four months taken up the following programmes to organize the people and intensify the mass movement:

19th April 2002      Dharna  at  Vikramganj  division  office  by  AIKMS  on land question.

25th April 2002     On the 2nd anniversary of Panchpokri genocide a mass       meeting by CPI(ML) – ND at Panchpokri.

29th April 2002      Dharna at Sasaram division by AIKMS.

16th May 2002      Effigy burning of Vajpayee and Delhi CM Shiela Dixit at Sasaram by AIKMS against lathicharge on Delhi FAIG Rally on 10th May.

22nd May 2002     Dharna  at  Kargahar  block  office by  AIKMS  against corruption.

25th May 2002      Kisan Sammelan on Development of Mass Movements at village Rampurjoi in  Shivsagar Block on the occasion of Naxalbari Day.

12th June 2002       Seminar against usury at Kaithi village of Chenari block.

16th June 2002       Mass meeting by AIKMS at Bhitri Bandh (block Rampur) of Kaimur dist.

19th June 2002       Mass  meeting on  land  question in  Jogipur  village of         Kargahar block.

21st June 2002       Mass meeting on land question at Arang village of Dinara block.

22nd June 2002      Mass meeting on land question at Supabigha village in Akhodigola block

In this manner, the organization has continually struggled for the solution of the land question and other issues of the peasantry. It is as a result of our programmes and struggles that the landless poor peasantry is standing up as a new force of society in Rohtas. The land struggle being conducted by the organization especially is giving a jolt to the semi-feudal production system. The landless poor peasantry is exhibiting its militancy and unity through these struggles. They are also challenging the rural feudal structure through these struggles.