Arundhati speaks up for farmers

It should be left to the farmers to decide whether or not they want to sell their land... I have been with the tribal people in Jharkhand where they have resisted land acquisition for a multinational company for five years. You should learn a lesson from them — Arundhati Roy at Kussa village in Moga                                                                
Kussa (Moga), October 9

Eminent writer, journalist and social activist Arundhati Roy has called upon the people of the state to join hands against the government move to acquire land for a multi-national company in Mansa’s Gobindpura village.

The Booker Prize winner, addressing a huge gathering at Kussa village, slammed the Punjab government for “forcible” acquisition of land, saying it was against the basic right to livelihood granted to people by nature.

She said the land belonged to the people who should have the right to cultivate it. “The government does not have any right to forcibly evict tillers from their land which gives them their livelihood”, she said.

Roy said land-holdings in Punjab were dwindling and the state government should ensure that the land stayed with the farmers.

“It should be left to the farmers to decide whether or not they want to sell their land.”

She said if the state government persisted in its efforts to acquire the Gobindpura land, the common masses should rise against the authorities.

“I have been with the tribal people in Jharkhand where they have resisted land acquisition for a multinational company for five years. You should learn from them”, she said. She advocated equal rights for women.