People's Democracy

Raigad Peasants Stage Dharna In Delhi Against SEZ

OVER 500 peasant men and women from the Raigad district of Maharashtra staged a dharna under the AIKS banner to protest against the Maha Mumbai Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at the Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on November 22, 2006, on the opening day of the parliament session. These fighting peasants from Raigad district were also part of the 11,000-strong contingent from 27 districts, led by the Maharashtra Rajya Kisan Sabha, that had enthusiastically taken part in the AIKS Delhi Rally on November 20.

The peasantry from 45 villages in the Pen, Uran and Panvel tehsils of Raigad district that adjoins Mumbai are up in arms against the proposed Maha Mumbai SEZ, in which over 25,000 acres of good cultivated paddy land from their villages is to be handed over to the Reliance Industries headed by Mukesh Ambani. Two months ago, on September 21, over 40,000 peasants from these villages had organised a massive demonstration at the Konkan Bhavan in New Mumbai strongly opposing the SEZ, in which the main speaker was CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury, MP. (See earlier report in People's Democracy, October 15, 2006 issue).

The spirited dharna in Delhi was addressed by Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and AIKS general secretary K Varadha Rajan, Leader of the CPI(M) group in the Lok Sabha Basudeb Acharia, AIAWU vice president and MP Hannan Mollah, AIKS joint secretary N K Shukla, AIKS finance secretary Noorul Huda, AIKS joint secretary and state general secretary Ashok Dhawale, AIKS state vice president Krishna Khopkar, AIDWA state general secretary Mariam Dhawale, CITU Raigad district secretary and JNPT trustee Bhushan Patil, AIKS Raigad district secretary Ramchandra Mhatre and DYFI Raigad district vice president Sandeep Patil.

The dharna was also addressed by peasant leaders from the various affected villages of Raigad district, viz. Ananta Patil, Ranjana Mhatre, A B Patil, Prabhakar Mhatre, Kashinath Patil, Kasubai Patil, Mathura Patil, Susheela Patil, Dangar Tatya, Chandrahat Mhatre and R K Patil.

On November 20, a delegation led by Sitaram Yechury and comprising Krishna Khopkar, Ashok Dhawale, Bhushan Patil and Ramchandra Mhatre had met the union commerce minister Kamal Nath and submitted to him a detailed memorandum against the Maha Mumbai SEZ. Similar memorandums have also been submitted to the president of India and to the speaker of the Lok Sabha, Somnath Chatterjee.

The memorandum, while giving all relevant details about the proposed SEZ, makes the following concrete demands:

1. Desist from granting permission/ approval to Reliance Industries, the promoters of Maha Mumbai SEZ, to erect their SEZ on the lands of peasants of the 45 villages designated for this SEZ; 

2. Direct the SEZ promoters to some other uncultivable land which is abundantly available in Raigad district; 

3. Advise the Maharashtra state government to rectify its approach in this matter. 

In their speeches at the Delhi dharna, the above leaders assured the peasants that while the CPI(M) and the Left parties would fight for major changes in the SEZ Act and its Rules in the just begun parliament session itself, the struggle against the SEZ in Raigad district would have to be intensified even further in the coming days to defeat this notorious conspiracy. The dharna concluded with a determined resolve to intensify the struggle and, in the process, to strengthen the AIKS, DYFI and AIDWA in Raigad district. (INN)