Chengara: Kerala's Nandigram

If communists in West Bengal is fearing a backlash of the Nandigram carnage in the ensuing Loksabha elections, their comrades in Kerala is facing the same as a result of Chengara struggle.

If it was poor farmers who were targeted by brutal communist rule in Bengal, It is landless Dalits, Adivasis and other marginalised peoples who are at the receiving end of the communist rule in Kerala.

Chengara struggle is a movement by landless Dalits, Adivasis and other marginalised peoples to gain ownership of land that began on 4th August 2007 in central kerala. It is a fight to re-claim ownership of land that has been part of a long standing promise of the Government.

To this end about 5000 families totaling around 24,000 people from different parts of the region have moved on to the Harrison Malayalam Private Ltd estate, building tents with poles and plastic sheets to establish the struggle front. The impugned land was a part of a leasehold to Harrison Malayalam Ltd, which expired in 1985 and no rents have been paid to the State exchequer since.

The struggle is also a statement against illegal encroachment of land that ought to belong to the people by a corporate entity for commercial purposes with the tacit support of the State machinery.

Chengara struggle clearly exposes the presence of caste inequalities and discrimination in Kerala making a big dent on the neo-liberal image of ‘God’s own country’.

The CPI(M) and its feeder organisations have taken a tough stand against the encroachment, terming it as illegal. They had blocked the road leading to the protest camps for 10 days denying food, medicines and other essentials to the people in the camps.

The LDF goverment in Kerala is indifferent to Chengara struggle and is colluding with the Harrison company in order to repress the peaceful resistance of the people for their land rights.

The struggling dalits are waiting for elections to teach CPI(M) a good lesson in the upcoming Loksabha elections. Accoding to political anaylysts, the anti-government stance of dalits is likely to have a negative impact on the Left parties’ prospects in the Dalit-tribal belts of Kerala. Chengara is already a major issue in the congress (I) lead UDF election campaign.