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Government responds symbolically to basic needs, says National Advisory Council member Aruna Roy-Bharti Jain

-The Economic Times

National Advisory Council member Aruna Roy has criticised the government for failing to deliver on land reforms. Criticising the UPA dispensation for not convening a single meeting of the National Land Reforms Council (NLRC) since it was constituted over four years ago, Roy on Monday told ET that this reflected an "absolute lack of intent and the symbolic manner in which governments respond to some the most basic demands of people's movements."

Recalling how the 2007 march by 25,000 of the country's poorest people from Delhi to Gwalior had led the prime minister to create NLRC under his own chairmanship and another committee under the rural development ministry, thus bringing land reforms back into focus, the 'activist' member of the Sonia Gandhi-led NAC lamented the lack of any progress ever since. Though the committee on state agrarian relations and the unfinished task in land reforms submitted its recommendations in 2009, NLRC is yet to meet to consider these.

"This undermines the credibility of government itself at the very highest level, when it does nothing to carry out its own assurances and mandate," she complained. Stating that land reform was basic to equity in India and would always remain a popular demand, Roy advised the government to waste no further time in implementing land reforms.

Roy reminded the government that the Ekta Parishad, which had organised the 25,000-strong peoples' march in 2007, was now mobilising around 1.25 lakh people to march into Delhi with a comprehensive land reforms agenda. "Rather than a set of knee-jerk reactions when the protesters reach Delhi, it would be best and wisest if the government were to start addressing concerns immediately and follow through on its earlier assurances," she advised.

Ekta Parishad founder and member of the National Land Reforms Council PV Rajagopal, who is leading the march from Kanyakumari to Delhi, on Monday accused the government of dragging its feet on land reforms due to pressure from land-grabbing lobbies. Stating that his two-and-a-half dozen letters to the prime minister seeking an NLRC meeting had failed to bear any fruit, Rajagopal told ET from Devas, Madhya Pradesh, that he was feeling suffocated in the council and would not be able to stay a member for long.

Incidentally, Rajagopal had made up his mind to resign from the council in April this year, but was persuaded into changing his decision. With no signs yet of the prime minister relenting on the demand of Rajagopal and other members to hold the maiden meeting of NLRC, the land reforms activist is mulling coinciding his resignation from the council with the conclusion of his march from Kanyakumari to Delhi in July.

"I have travelled from Kanyakumari over the last eight months and ten days and reached Devas today. But there is word from the government on scheduling a NLRC meet. The government says land policy is a state subject. But I wonder why the Centre, which has finalised a Land Acquisition Bill to benefit the farmers, cannot bring a Land Distribution Bill as well?" said Rajagopal.

Stating that other NLRC members have also been persuading the prime minister to convene a meeting, Rajagopal said government seemed to be under the influence of powerful land-grabbing lobby. "It seems that the government has time for the nuclear deal and to entertain land-grabbing lobbies, but not to address the genuine grievances of tribals who are being denied rights to their land," he said.