Congress to forcefully oppose eviction of landless, small farmers: Ravinder
Sunderbani, January 10, 2023:-Terming the recent direction to evict the farmers from the agricultural lands în their cultivating possessions for decades aș arbitrary, irrational & în violation of various existing laws, norms and human rights, JKPCC Chief Spokesperson Mr Ravinder Sharma has said that Congress would oppose this dictatorial order în a big way including taking up the same with Shri Rahul Gandhi during upcomming Bhart jodo yatra în J &K, to save thoudands of landless, small and marginal farmers from getting uprooted.
Addressing a press conference here today on the issue of recent government directions to evict all occupants of government lands within three months, Mr Sharma said that landless,petty, small and marginal farmers în cultivating possessions of different kinds of agricultural and residentisl lands appurtinent thereto, are being threatened forcible eviction by the field staff, if they failed to surrender the same within no time.
The people especially farmers are restless for the past couple of days,since issuance of dictatorial order, aș their Girdawris have been already erased unilaterally în recent years, without adhering to the norms especially following the principles of natural justice.
There is one ‘rule &lathi’ to deal with the landless, smal &marginal farmers and for a well off occupants who have sufficient land holdings on their own and have illegally occupied large chunks of state or custodian land, who certainly form a separate ccategory țo be dealt under law of land.
However the Congress stands shoulder to shoulder with the landless, smal &marginalised farmers who are în peaceful,uninterrupted and long duration possessions of such lands & we demand framing of a fair land policy în the matter and till then roll back of the arbitrary and irrational direction, failing which there will be a strong, sustained non violent “satyagreh ” on the pattern of farmers agitation în the country, he added.
Sharma said that past governments always framed laws and norms to the benefits of landless, small and marginal farmers &tillers but the present dispensation is hell bent to crush the poor people especially farmers
Flanked by Senior leaders of the party and farmers, he referred to previous laws and norms of past governments în the favour of tillers, small and marginal farmers like Big Landed estates abolition act 1952,C.O. – 578-C of 1954, LB-6, LB- 7, of 1958, S -432 of 1966,Agrarian Reforms Act 1976, CM guidelines 1971 and several others but this government is the only exception which is trying to hit the poorest of the poor especially the farmers, who are “Anndata” of all.
He said those whose forefathers were în cultivating possessions of small portions of stare lands prior to 1947, those internally displaced from areas near LOC &settled by the government and administrations of the time immediately after 1947, those displaced from PoJK, SCs, STc, OBCs, Minorities etc are also being affected, disturbed and uprooted în large Numbers, without any case to case examination, which is arbitrary and irrational and în violation of various laws & human rights.
This action of the government is even contrary to its own stand în the hon’ble High Court and Hon’ble supreme court and coercive method is being adopted during pendency of those pleas, which is unfortunate.
Asserting that Congress has always sided and stood with the farmers în the country, JKPCC Chief Spokesperson said that matter shall be taken with the party high command for high level review of this major issue of the livlihood and shelter of thousands of poor people, to protect their rights.
He assured the farmers that apart from a strong political struggle, the party shall also provide free legal guidance and help to the poor people from legal experts în comming days, if the orders are not revoked.
He also appealed to the farmers and orher poor people likely to be affected to join the Bharat Jodo Yatra în large numbers to forcefully raise their voice against injustice.
NC Sharma, Tirth Ram, Sdr Ajit Singh, Yog Raj Sharma, Ashok Kumar, Kashmir Singh, D N Sharma,, Om Parkash District President Kissan Congress, Chuni Lal, Ashwani Kumar, Govind Sudan, Mohinder Singh and several others were present în the press conference.
