A Peoples Struggle
By PV Rajagopal and Shannon Moran

There is long history of struggle for access to land and control over natural resources in India.  The vague and ineffectual campaigns of the past have done little for the marginalized communities that find themselves left out of the political dialogue for change.  Decision-making powers lie in the hands of the Central and State governments and rarely are the needs of the landless brought to the forefront of the political agenda.  In a country where hundreds of thousands of people depend on land for their survival, this lack of representation amounts to what is essentially a massive display of disregard for the rights of so many of its citizens.  And we must remember that ours is a country with an already blemished past; one of social and class divisions that have led to prejudice and suffering of the worst kind.  We have to ask ourselves how, in a country where democracy rules and an increasingly prosperous market has brought wealth to so many, there can still be so many millions of people left out of the growth that has made India one of the world’s fastest growing economies. 

The significance of land and its connection to human rights and dignity is not something that can be easily explained to an international audience.  For many people in the developed world the deep connection to the land and its resources was lost when the small farmer was replaced by corporate agriculture, the local market place by the grocery giants and the voice of the laborer by the scream of technological advancement.  For the hundreds of thousands of rural communities in this country that depend upon the soil for their subsistence, land is a complex and deeply personal issue.  Years of tireless work has gone into the land where for generations people have lived and raised their families.  When farmers are denied the ownership rights of the land they have occupied for so long they become vulnerable to what many people call development and progress.  But what good is development when it means the displacement of thousands?  How can we speak of progress in this country when so often it means denying people the basic right to live their lives free from the fear that they may lose everything they have spent their lives working for without warning?   In India there exists a system of development where money talks and the interests of multinational corporations take precedence over the lives of the struggling poor.  When political pressures force the government to create pro-poor policies that take the needs of its marginalized citizens into consideration, corruption and greed challenge true progress.  Approximately 70% of India’s population depends on access to land and its natural resources for their livelihood.  Without any legal claim to these lands, thousands of people are forced to migrate to urban centers everyday where they are left with no choice but to become manual laborers without rights or financial security.  Overcrowded slums become the only refuge for the victims of the unjust and inequitable land policies in India.  The current trend to entice foreign companies with lucrative investment policies only serves to perpetuate the vicious cycle of poverty that defines the reality of so many Indians today.  This resource rich country has become a haven for multinational corporations to buy up lands to build dams and mines, leading to the forced eviction of entire communities and the destruction of thousands of acres of forest land.  Without the legal framework to protect their rights to land, poor farmers and forest communities have been forced to watch as their lives are destroyed in the name of India’s development. They are vulnerable to the caprice of government greed and the appetite of multinational companies.  But the landless people of India share a tenacity and determination that refuses to stand by idly while their rights are trampled by the powers that control the country.  Theirs is a voice that has gone unheard for too long.  Theirs is a will that can not be held back by oppression and greed. Their struggle is the people’s struggle and their strength the strength of a people that refuses to accept the current trends in development.    

Thousands of people in India have united to free themselves from the oppressive hold that the land policies of this country have over their lives.  In December 2005, Ekta Parishad representatives and ten thousand village leaders gathered together in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh for the Assembly of the Deprived.  This open forum provided a space for people to share their experiences and ideas with the confidence that their voices would be heard.  It was there that the plan to take the struggle to a new level was decided upon.  Janadesh, or the people’s verdict, is a campaign to retrieve the rights and dignity of hundreds of thousands of India’s marginalized citizens through the creation of pro-poor land policies.  The last days of the Assembly brought activists and land experts together and the final details of the Janadesh campaign were decided upon.  A declaration was written and the intention of twenty-five thousand landless people to walk 350kms to assert their rights over land, water and forest resources was announced.  On October 2nd, 2006, five hundred tribal and dalit leaders began the long walk from Gwalior to Delhi to bring their demands to parliament.  These demands were simple and fair: a National Land Reforms Authority must be established to clearly identify land for redistribution; a Fast Track Court system has to be available to settle land claims; and a Single Window system is necessary for the landless people of India to be able to settle land issues without having to travel long distances, wasting what little time and money they have.  It was a demonstration of the resolve of the landless to gain access to their right to the land and resources they depend on for their livelihoods.  It was a warning and a reminder to the government that twenty-five thousand people would be mobilized to walk the same route and voice the same concerns.  Despite this display of determination, there was still no formal response and preparations for Janadesh 2007 began.

In what one can only describe as an undeniable display of solidarity and community mobilization, villages and social organizations began to collect food grains and money to support the needs of the satyagrahis of Janadesh.  More that one thousand quintals of food grains were collected from Janadesh Kosh, a community collaborative to support the work being done to prepare for the long march.  Orientation and training for village leaders and activists were undertaken to ensure that the Gandhian principles of non-violence were understood and practiced.  Training in logistics and management were initiated so that the coordination of twenty-five thousand marchers could be organized.  A broad network of national and international alliances was built and more that 300 Indian organizations and 50 international organizations pledged their support for Janadesh and the landless people of India. On October 2nd, 2007, twenty-five thousand people representing communities from all over India gathered in Gwalior to begin what proved to be the largest non-violent movement for land reform in the country’s history.  Its commencement marked the United Nations’ International Day of Non-Violence and the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi.  To witness communities united in a display of non-violent civil disobedience evoked memories of the satygrahas of Gandhi that inspired civil rights movements throughout the world.  Support came from all over, with 250 satyagrahis from international organizations showing their solidarity with each step that they took.  On October 29th, 2007 the satyagrahis of Janadesh were finally given the answer they had walked so far to get.  The government of India announced that it would establish a National Land Reforms Committee with 50% of the new committee's members coming from social and civil society organizations involved in the land rights movement. The news was met with cries of "Jai Janadesh!" and the crowd sang and danced in celebration through the night. But the success of this historical display of non-violent civil disobedience has still fallen short of bringing justice to the people.  People in India’s villages are still being displaced by corporate interests.  Local authorities still demand hefty bribes to do the paper work necessary for families to gain legal ownership over their land.  The struggle is not over; the promises made on October 29th must be followed through and we all must be prepared to continue in this fight for justice for the people.

The solidarity shown by the international community for the landless people of India was of paramount significance.  The individuals that walked with the satyagrahis and the organizations that pledged their support for Janadesh made it clear that the world was watching as the government faced the demands of the people.  What is so important about this display of support is that it shows a shift from the past; a progression from the tendency to shy away from political development to becoming actively involved in the politics of the poor.  The truth is that everything about development is political, yet so often development agencies hesitate when it comes to supporting people’s movements in order to circumvent the appearance of being aligned with a political struggle.  Many development agencies talk about using a rights-based approach in their work, but avoid becoming actively and visibly involved in the people’s struggle for their right to control natural resources.  This struggle is of course highly political; it requires development agencies to become part of the political dialogue for change and to take up the politics of the poor.  The struggle for control over natural resources is a struggle between the rich and the poor.  It is a struggle between the powerful and the seemingly powerless.  Why do so many organizations working for the people avoid working with the people in their political struggle for rights? 

When communities that depend on natural resources for their livelihoods are excluded from resource management, the result is their political and economic marginalization.  Only when international development agencies are willing to step in and become part of the political struggle of the poor can effective resource management take place and the rights of these communities be brought to the forefront of development.  In a world of globalization, it is becoming more and more necessary for the international community to work with the poor and take the rights-based approach to development to a new level.  The current trend in this approach to development is to focus on the softer, less controversial sectors such as health or education.  Without forgetting these important aspects of development, the international community must extend the scope of its work.  It must be willing to take up the challenges that come with becoming part of the politics and struggles of the poor who are denied their right to participate in natural resource management.  What we saw in Janadesh was a radical shift in the international community.  International organizations and individuals are becoming increasingly willing to join political movements that fight for a more equitable distribution of power.