`We are in a state of emergency`
Q&A/ Aruna Roy, founder, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan
Prasad Nichenametla / New Delhi August 31, 2007
Aruna Roy, one of the founders of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan
and a former member of the National Advisory Council who recently took
part in the Jan Adhikar Yatra through Rajasthan, tells Prasad
Nichenametla that the governments approach on SEZ and jatropha farming
has been undemocratic.

What led to the Jan Adhikar Yatra in which you took part recently?

In Rajasthan, there are several policies pursued by the state
government against the common people�s interest.

While land is being acquired for special economic zones (SEZs), the
government is also allotting wastelands and degraded forest lands on
commercial scale for jatropha cultivation.

These processes involve no dialogue with the people who would lose
their land and livelihoods.

The state is also amending the Rajasthan Land Tenancy Act, 1955, to
facilitate land transfer from Dalits to non-Dalits, which would take
away the land holdings of the former.

There are also concerns about improper implementation of the National
Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) and the Right to Information
Act (RTI).

So, to know the problems of the people and make them interact on these
issues, we organised the Jan Adhikar Yatra.

The basic idea is while opposing the undemocratic manner in which the
government makes some policy decisions, we want to initiate a
discussion among the general people, the intelligentsia and the
political class.

What kind of response did you receive from the Yatra?

A state-wide procession started on August 9 from Alwar, Tonk, Ajmer
and Sikar towns to converge in Jaipur after interacting with villagers
on the way.

The marches were followed by a discussion till August 26 where people
took part in large numbers. About 1,300 km were covered by 500
padyatris (processionists) who travelled through 800 villages. The
yatra was supported by about 50 organisations.

What about the issue of land acquisition by SEZs?

The Centre has approved the SEZ Act in just two days, without taking
into consideration concerns expressed by various quarters.

This only reflects the government�s reluctance to involve a democratic
discussion on a sensitive issue like land acquisition and displacement
of the marginal sections. Only after the Nandigram episode, the
government has constituted a Parliamentary Committee to look into the
issue.

The same applies to Jatropha cultivation, regarding which the state
cabinet has approved a policy to acquire huge tracts of land for
companies to cultivate the plants. However, even representatives of
the ruling party were not aware of the process.

Under the movement, we would like to know how viable are the projects
like SEZs or Jatropha cultivation and how they would benefit the poor.

Are you satisfied with the NREGA?

I think the NREGA is better than any other employment generation
programme in the country. While it has achieved around 60 per cent
success, a lot more has to be done with a better participation of people.

But the pace of the Act is a bit slow. It is being implemented only in
330 districts, out of which 130 districts will get it in this
financial year.

Social audit is a better way to share ideas and solutions and make the
Act a big success. While it has shown positive results in Rajasthan
and Andhra Pradesh, it seems the government lacks the space and time
to take it to the national level. We need better infrastructure for
better implementation.

What do you think about the implementation of the RTI? Will the Act
with its present content be able to deliver perfectly?

I think the Act in its present form can deliver on its promise. But
the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the nodal body
servicing the Act and the Central Information Commission, is letting
some vested interests play their part.

The DoPT website is still carrying the section on file notings. I
think the RTI should be brought under some other ministries like the
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to make it free from such
interventions.

What is your opinion about the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal?

I think the deal paves way for the imperialist forces like the United
States to walk into the country. We are against the deal, and I am
also a signatory to the memorandum submitted to the Centre demanding
that the deal be stalled.

What are your plans? Your opinions on the course of people�s movements
in the country?

I think we have reached a point where there is a severe unrest over
government policies and the overall democratic set-up. There are
attempts to curtail the freedom of the citizens. We are in a state of
emergency without being aware of it.

There is a dire need to save democratic spaces, whether it is the lack
of space to hold protest in Jaipur or the lack of public participation
in policy formulation.

This padyatra was the beginning of a long struggle to regain a voice
in the decision-making process. I would continue my struggle for
people�s rights in all forms.

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