Janu threatens fast unto death

By Our Staff Reporter

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, OCT. 14. The Adivasi-Dalit Action Council chairperson, Ms. C. K. Janu, said today that she would observe fast unto death in front of the Government Secretariat from October 17 in order to intensify the agitation which was launched on September 3 following starvation deaths in the tribal areas of Wayanad district.

Striking a stern and defiant note at a meeting of the Adivasi Gothra Sabha here today, Ms. Janu said there would be no going back on the Action Council's demand for a minimum of five acres of arable land per adivasi family and a credible development package for making the land productive.

Without mincing words, Ms. Janu told the Government that her demand was not open for negotiation. ``Our demand is not up for auction. You cannot offer us one acre in the place of five and get our activists to pack their bags and leave the town,'' she said.

Ms. Janu said that her fast unto death will commence at 4.00 p.m. in front of the Secretariat on Wednesday. The Action Council members said they are calling an `Oorukoottal' (mobilisation of opinion leaders in society) to drum up support for the agitation.

The activists said they expect support from various quarters including intellectuals, NGOs, social workers, environmentalists, Dalit organisations and Adivasi movements in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Later, the Gothra Sabha adopted a detailed resolution reiterating their demands and charting out the future course of action. The resolution noted that the Government had not given a `clear, definite and satisfactory' decision on the various demands raised by the Action Council. The Government was yet to issue a clear- cut, legally sound and binding order on the Adivasi demands.

So, the present stand of the Government was not acceptable to the Action Council. There should be a clear-cut order on the transfer of minimum five acres of land to each adivasi family and definite proposal regarding what would be the development package for making the transferred tribal lands productive.

The resolution demanded that Adivasi lands be declared tribal areas as per the provisions in the 5th Schedule of the 244th Section of the Constitution. There should be a Cabinet decision to this effect and the Adivasi Action Council members should be given a concrete assurance that they would have a say in the demarcation of tribal lands.

The Gothra Sabha would launch the exercise of identifying Adivasi families which have less than five acres of land. It would also identify the land that should be transferred to the landless families. It would also decide the areas and settlements to be named as tribal areas.

These decisions would be left to the Gothra representatives in various Adivasi settlements. The Gothra Sabha asked the Government to carry out its Constitutional obligation to the Adivasis by giving them five acres of land and declaring the areas of Adivasi settlements as tribal areas.

The Sabha asked the elders of various settlements who attended the meeting to explain the decisions at all tribal settlements in the State.

The Adivasi-Dalit Action Council convener, Mr. M. Geethandan, was also present.

The Action Council had launched its agitation on September 3 by setting up a refugee camp before the Chief Minister's residence at the Cliff House. Later, the activists erected tribal huts in front of the Government Secretariat.

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