Of Freedom and Tribal Vendetta
Sid Harth
Alarm bells toll: tribal, non-tribal feud gets sharper
By Dipak Mishra
RANCHI: Even as the countdown for the emergence of Jharkhand state is
on, the tribal vs non-tribal conflict is getting sharper with each
passing day. Tribal youths, armed with traditional weapons, have
started demolishing houses of non-tribals and asking them to vacate the
land, claiming that these chunks of land rightfully belonged to them.
On Monday, a group of tribal youths, under the banner of Sarna Samiti,
damaged two houses at Divadeh, and beat up a Heavy Engineering
Corporation employee asking him to vacate the land as it was Sarna land
(religious land). This was the fourth incident of this nature in the
last two weeks. The dividing line between "dikus" (outsiders or recent
settlers) and "sadanis" (non-tribals living in Jharkhand for
generations) seems to be disappearing as both are facing the wrath of
the tribals chanting "jal, jungle aur jamin le kar rahenge" (We will
reclaim water, jungle and land).
"Once a separate Jharkhand became imminent, there started a reopening
of the old wounds", says Ravindra Nath Rai, a local lawyer specialising
in land disputes. "Everybody appears to be taking the law in his own
hand", he added. He blames the flaws in the Chhotanagpur Tenancy Act
(CTA) for this situation. The Act forbidding the transfer of tribal
land to non-tribals was made in 1908. "Since then there has been a sea
change in the political and social scenario and if this preventive law
is extended for so long, then violations are bound to take place", Rai
said, pointing that there were 3,000 cases of disputes over tribal land
pending in Ranchi alone.
As of now, the bitterness and fear among tribals over losing land
to "dikus" and "sadanis" have become apparent. "There are stretches of
posh colonies, like at Harmu and Ashok Nagar, which have been built on
tribal land", said Prakash Chandra Oraon, the director of Bihar Tribal
Research Institute, adding: "Now that Jharkhand has become a reality
and the tribal youths have acquired a degree of education, it is
natural that they vent out their anger."
He, however, felt that it was unfortunate that these things were
happening only a few days before Jharkhand came into
existence. "Awareness among tribals about their land was heightened
after the Ranchi land scam broke out in which prime land worth Rs 400
crore were illegally transferred to the influential sections running
various housing cooperatives", said Ratan Tirkey, a local freelance
journalist.
He maintained that a few tribal leaders were using this "natural" anger
to extort money from non-tribals. He pointed out that most litigations
of tribal land involved acquisition of tribal land by the government
for projects like HEC, CCL and MECON, among others. This trend of
targeting non-tribals would increase and become frequent in the near
future, he said.
Even as the district administration is treating the trend as a law and
order matter, non-tribals in Ranchi are alarmed. "What is actually
happening is that small non-tribal landowners who have purchased land
for building their houses are being targeted", said Amaresh Kumar, a
local businessman. "The big landholders, including the missionaries,
are being left out", he added. The non-tribals are praying for an early
end of the trend.
http://www.timesofindia.com/today/09indi1.htm
Soren to stake claim, CPI offers support
PATNA: The CPI on Wednesday said it would support any non-BJP-led
secular combination in Jharkhand that could form a stable government,
even as JMM-S president Shibu Soren claimed he had the support of 41
MLAs after hectic parleys with the RJD, Congress and CPI in his bid to
form the first government in the new state on November 15.
"No power on the earth can stop me from becoming the chief minister as
I am confident of enlisting the support of over 41 MLAs," he told PTI
here.
Soren, who had a lengthy discussion with Yadav on formation of the
interim government, also met Bihar PCC chief Chandan Bagchi, CPI state
secretary Jalaluddin Ansari and independent MLA Samresh Singh.
Ansari told PTI that the two CPI MLAs from Jharkhand would support a
secular combination that would be in a position to form the government
in Jharkhand to thwart the BJP bid to come to power.
"We will be providing outside support," he said, adding Soren was yet
to seek his party's support in forming government.
He, however, conceded that the possibility of a non-BJP government
coming to power in Jharkhand appeared to be bleak as the BJP would have
32 members in the Assembly and had the assured support of other NDA
partners.
Soren said the Congress had responded favourably responded to his
appeal and a formal decision was expected from the party high command
within a day or two.
Soren said he had also received 'positive response' from and some
independents.
"I am meeting the MLAs inividually to impess upon them to have their
own ministry to fulfil the aspirations of the Jharkhand people...I am
confident of providing a stable and effective government."
"Jharkhand ke dharmanirpeksha vidhayakgan mere saath hain. BJP ko har
halat mein satta mein nahin ane dena hai (all the secular MLAs from
Jharkhand are with me...We will not allow BJP to come to power in
Jharkhand at any cost)," he said.
Earlier, party general secretary Vinod Bhagat told PTI that the JMM-S
would stake claim to form a 'secular government' in Jharkhand headed by
Soren. The decision was taken at a meeting of the JMM (S) office
bearers and MLAs chaired by Soren himself at Patna on Tuesday,
Bhagat claimed that apart from RJD, the Congress and the Left parties,
NDA allies Samata Party, JD(U) and independents, including Samresh
Singh, MLA from Bokaro, had extended their support to install a secular
interim government.
Besides, some of the BJP MLAs whose sympathy was with party vice-
president Karia Munda, had also assured the party leadership of their
support, he claimed.(PTI)
http://www.timesofindia.com/today/09indi4.htm
ULFA wants peace talks with Centre
GUWAHATI: Jailed leader of the separatist United Liberation Front of
Asom Pradip Gogoi said on Wednesday that the rebels were ready to hold
peace talks with the central government.
Gogoi, vice president of ULFA, said the government should initiate
negotiations to end the insurgency that has claimed 10,000 lives over
two decades.
"Why can't the central government hold talks with us?" Gogoi asked
while talking to journalists outside a court. Gogoi is facing various
charges including waging a war against the Indian government.
Two years ago the group had announced it would talk to the government.
It demanded that negotiations be held in a third country in the
presence of a United Nations observer.
The government then agreed to talks outside the country, but rejected
the demand for U.N. supervision so the talks never got off the ground.
While there was no immediate reaction from the ULFA headquarters, the
Assam government welcomed Gogoi's statement, taking it seriously since
he is considered an important leader in the group's hierarchy.
A government spokesman who asked not to be identified said, "We welcome
any militant group willing to hold peace talks."
Of three separatist groups in Assam, the Bodo Liberation Tigers
declared a cease-fire in July, while the National Democratic Front of
Bodoland (NDFB) has refused peace talks.
Some 50,000 government soldiers are engaged in counterinsurgency
offensives to contain separatist movements in Assam. (AP)
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Militants gun down 8 in Assam
GUWAHATI: In the second major strike against non-Assamese by militants
in a fortnight, eight people were killed while asleep on Wednesday and
three seriously injured by suspected National Democratic Front of
Bodoland ultras in a remote village of Assam's Barpeta district.
Police from Barpeta said over telephone that of the victims, five
belonged to the minority community, two were from Bihar while another
was an Assamese. The dead included a woman and two children.
A group of about 10 to 12 heavily armed militants swooped down on
Sukrungbari village under Sorbhog police station around 2.30 a.m. and
attacked sleeping villagers -- mostly labourers or small time
agriculturists.
The militants fired indiscriminantely with sophisticated weapons on the
villagers and after about 15 minutes fled under the cover of darkness
to the nearby jungles.
The three injured have been taken to Guwahati Medical College Hospital,
the sources said.
The village is situated in a remote area of the district and can be
reached after crossing Beki river and then walking for 10 km.(PTI)
http://www.timesofindia.com/today/09indi16.htm
JMM break-up with NDA opens window for Congress
By Smita Gupta
The Times of India News Service
NEW DELHI: JMM leader Shibu Soren's breaking away from the National
Democratic Alliance has created a window of opportunity for the non-BJP
forces in Jharkhand, which will come into existence on November 15.
AICC general secretary Mohsina Kidwai said on Wednesday the party
wasmonitoring the situation closely but has yet to decide whether it
should make a bid at ministry forming with other non-BJP parties. The
Congress has an open mind on the issue, she said.
Congress sources said the party would like to prevent the formation of
a BJP-led government in Jharkhand, but it does not want to look too
keen on it. The Rashtriya Janata Dal has taken the initiative, and the
Congress would like to retain its bargaining powers. RJD leader Laloo
Prasad Yadav has reportedly already begun negotiations with Soren and
other parties.
In the 81-member to-be-created Jharkhand assembly, the BJP-led forces
have a tally of 42 - BJP 32, Samata Party 5, Janata Dal(U) 3 and
Independents 2. The non-Congress grouping has 39 members - JMM 12,
Congress 11, RJD 9, CPI 3, UGDP 2, CPML 1, and MCC 1. If the
Independents - incidentally, former Congressmen - leave the BJP forces,
the situation would reverse. Congress sources said Laloo is also in
touch with the Samata and JD-U MLAs, who are reportedly not happy with
the BJP.
The Congress - which has minimal presence in Bihar (just 22 seats in a
324 strong undivided assembly) as in UP - is still groping for a magic
formula that would revive its fortunes in the Hindi heartland. But its
leaders are divided between those who advocate a bid at government
formation since some of the party MLAs may stay away, and those who
believe the only long-term way to revive the party is for it to go it
alone.
In Jharkhand, the Congress remains a force to reckon with, along with
the BJP and the JMM. This is mainly because of the caste and religious
composition of Jharkhand - STs 28 per cent, Muslims 20 per cent, SCs 13
per cent. The Congress now will have to decide which will pay it
greater political dividends - joining a government that includes the
JMM (tarnished by the JMM bribery case, which still haunts the party)
and the RJD or sit it out in the opposition for the next four years.
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