The Hindu : Muthanga infuses unity among groups

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 21, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Kerala

Muthanga infuses unity among groups

By T. Ramavarman

THRISSUR FEB. 20. The immediate impact of the developments in connection with the agitation of the tribals at Muthanga in Wayanad district last night is that it has infused a sense of unity among some individuals, who were tirelessly taking up the human rights issues, and various fringe groups in the State.

Though limited in numbers, it was these groups and individuals and the causes of the marginalised sections which are mostly neglected by the main-stream political parties. But going by the track record of bitter factional feuds and ego clashes among these groups and individuals, it remains to be seen whether they will be able to sustain this new-found unity to build up a campaign to ensure that the developments in Muthanga will not divert attention from the basic agonies of the tribals and that the State will not be permitted to use those incidents for unleashing a terror against the tribals.

Many of them have strong differences of opinion about the strategies and tactics of the Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha (AGM) leaders in the agitation, especially about their decision to resort to such abrupt violent actions without adequate preparation. But all of them are also vehement in their assertion that it was the sheer indifference and utter neglect of the pathetic conditions of the tribals by the successive Governments which had pushed them to such extreme steps.

However, there are many among such groups and individuals who feel that even in extreme conditions, alternatives other than violence should have been explored. They even argue that the kind of cruel retaliatory violence that had been unleashed by the police in Muthanga was unheard of in the history of the State. They are also disappointed by the fact that such mindless violence was unleashed on the tribals when A.K. Antony who was putting up the image of a tribal-friendly politician through his soft approach during the earlier phase of the agitation by the AGM and through his measures like inclusion of the Tribal Land Bill in the Ninth Schedule, is at the helm of affairs of the State.

The near-unanimity among the main-stream political parties, including the Congress, CPI(M) and the BJP in spotting blots in the AGM agitation seems to have not surprised many among those fringe groups. This was because they have seen such evident demonstration of unity of all political parties when the Tribal Land Bill, which was vehemently opposed by the tribals, was passed almost unanimously by the Assembly during the previous LDF regime.

And it remains to be seen whether these fringe groups will be able to draw up a strategy to build up a larger platform of all possible forces against the police atrocities against the tribals, and still retain their reservation against the unprincipled positions of the main-stream political formations.

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Muthanga infuses unity among groups