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Rajkumar |
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BAGHELKHAND ADIVASI KISSAN MAZDOOR MUKTI MORCHA (BAKMMM)
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The major tribal communities are Gond, Mawasi and Kols. Inspite of being a MADA (modified area development authority), very few development schemes reach the tribals and the money is siphoned away at the block and district levels by middlemen. An administration worth its name hardly exists and 'might is right' in this area. The Baghelkhand Adivasi Kissan Mazdoor Mukti Morcha (BAKMMM) is trying to organise the tribals to struggle for a better life. The organisation is working in around 100 villages. Maghgavan and the area in its vicinity are highly feudal by nature. The region is having good forest cover and it is also sharing its borders with U.P. Being a bordering area it is offering a safe havens for dacoits of the region. Notorious dacoit Dadua (late) and Thekua are active in this region only adding to the appalling law and order scenario. There is a palpable undercurrent of anger among the tribals, and that is being used for mobilizing them under the aegis of sangathan.
BAKMMM is a part of wider state level forum viz. “Jan Sangharsh Morcha” which was formed in January 2002 to jointly highlight relevant issues. One of the main reasons for forming this platform is to streamline the latest piece of legislations on land and forest rights of marginalized people. The Sangathan is an active member of the Morcha for its various activities.
Endevours of BAKMMM
Women Empowerment
Tribal Empowerment
Livelihood Initiatives
Governance
Majhgawan, Satna is having agriculture as a predominant source of livelihood. But the poor land productivity, improper land distribution in which a few medium and large farmers have major share in land holdings. Lack of irrigation facilities in agriculture has kept the agriculture-based economy on the verge of subsistence only. Forests in Satna have been a major source of livelihood for poor people. Though, tribes have been dependent on forests for everything in their life, other caste people, particularly which of Scheduled Caste, have also been dependent on it for food. Mahuwa has been one of the major sources of food for poor community living in the rural areas of these concerned. But forest department is very inhuman so the basic rights of tribes and other forest dwellers are suffering. Still the villagers are collecting fire woods and selling in the market and fulfill their minimum needs. Since three years this region is facing drought so the agricultural support for their livelihood has been broken.
Satna is rich in some important minerals and stones but mining and quarrying involves exploitation of wage labor and the issue of health hazard is also involved in it. Stone cutting and quarrying is under the total control of contractors, coming mostly from the upper caste and carrying the feudal relations into this business. The sangathan is dealing with following issues for ensuring livelihood opportunities in the region:
A. Cultivation In August 2001, the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) had misinterpreted a Supreme Court judgment and has ordered removal of all land encroachments in forest before 24th October 1980. The forest department started its survey to demarcate the forest area. However, due to pressure from the sangathan the survey work did not begin in those villages where the sangathan was active. However, the BAKMMM quickly got organized to oppose the survey work being carried out in other villages. The Sangathan conducted meetings in several villages in the area to give information about the forest act and various related policies and laws. BAKMMM also tried to prevent division among people on the issue of Forest Protection Committee. Moreover, the land dispute still remains unresolved as there is large portion of land in the state is under dispute between the Forest and Revenue Department since independence of India. Villagers are able to ensure their food subsistence by retaining their access to the land.
B. Minor Forest Produce
Tribals in the area are being deprived of their rights over forests and land that they have being tilling since several generations. There is also a move to remove them from revenue land. The forest department is also trying to divide the people by forming Van Samitis or Forest Protection Committee (FPCs). Villagers are dependent on forest in their vicinity for meeting their daily needs from Minor Forest Produces (MFPs) like Amla, Tendu Patta, fodder and fuel. The Forest Protection Committee in the villages is encouraging villagers to work for private traders/contractors on daily wages for collection to the MFPs. However, before the appointed day people who were part of the of the FPC and the Forest Department who owned tractors and lorries went ahead and collected the entire produce of amla so there was nothing left for the people. This stepping in of the FPC created a lot of confusion and the people therefore decided that from henceforth, they would collect the Amla and sell it directly to the private traders. Tribals in the area are waging a continuous struggle with the Forest Department and their nexus with the powerful mafia.
In the villages viz. Tikra and Gulabi the tribals were prevented for Mahua collection by the upper caste families for their economic interests. The tribals under the BAKMMM banner got organized and decided to oppose this. They decided that they will not only gather mahua from the trees which they have been collecting so far but will also gather from the trees which they left so far. The situation headed towards confrontation between the tribals and the upper caste families but it was averted due to presence of strong sangathan base in the area.
C. Minimum Wages
In the Watershed Project being undertaken in the block, men were being paid Rs.45/- and women are being paid Rs.30/-. The sangathan wrote a complaint to Gram Pnachayat through the Gram Sabha. The Chairperson and Contractor of the Watershed Project were asked about the minimum wages by the workers, then it was decided that men would be paid Rs.55/- and women would be paid Rs.45/-. The sangathan pressurized the administration for payment of balance and minimum wage of worth Rs.6 lakhs.
Satna has a decisive role in the politics of Madhya Pradesh. Congress and BJP are the 2 major competing political parties of the area. Congress has an unbreakable history of victory in elections whether in Parliament or in Assembly. Bramhins and Thakur (Baghel) are in dominant position in the region and so they have the strength to influence elections. Gradually the political scene of the area is under transition mode. Dalits are emerging rapidly in the picture and it was like a miracle when BSP lead the Satna constituency for the parliament election in the resent polls. Dalits are getting organized under the banner of BSP and influencing the whole political scenario. Other backward communities like Yadav, Kurmi, Kushwaha are also emerging and these are the followers of Uma Bharti, indirectly with BJP. Tribals are also emerging as a political force under the banner of Gondwana Gantantra Party. This Party has not won any election till date but has an ultimate power to bargain and influence the elections. Gondwana Gantantra Party has done lot of work among the tribal communities and has focused to become a ruling party that will represent tribal interests. Now we can say that democratization of politics are taking place in the area and this is not a spontaneous change but gradually due to education and jobs in government sectors are the major factors behind this emergence. Slowly the dominance of upper castes like Brahmins and Thakurs are facing challenges from other communities.
At the same time they (upper castes people) are trying to play a patronage card among the emerging forces. They are trapping tribal leaders for maintaining their presence in the party politics. BAKMMM is playing a deciding role in empowerment of marginalized tribal and dalit families in their region of work. The adivasi community (Mavasi and Kols) is generally perceived as Janglis (uncivilized), un-cultured and unnecessary for the society. Upper castes didn’t recognised them as human being. The sangathan has changed this phenomenon and have started instilling in them a sense of self dignity and euity. It has been a long struggle for the Fellow team members and the community to stand up against adverse social and political conditions. It is to the credit of Rajkumar and his team that they could bring different adivasi communities on a single platform. Gonds identified themselves as descendants of Rajputs and were close to Thakurs and Brahmins. But now the Gonds are with the sangathan. Many issues of livelihood, self-dignity, police atrocities, land eviction, exploitation by government official, wages, land and forest etc. are being taken by the sangathan. Adivasi and Dalit communities in the region have a long history of exploitation. It was not easy for Rajkumar and his team to create the space for setting up the sangathan through his regular intervention and perspective building activities.
Women discrimination in the feudal society of Majhgavan has been rampant and is obvious in the villages that are associated with the sangathan. In past, men from dominant castes rape, molest and solicited adivasi women and the adivasi men have just remained mute spectators. It is in this situation the presence of the sangathan has restored the self dignity of the women. Women faced abuses in the market when they went to sell firewood or at the farms where they worked as labourers or domestic help. Rajkumar and the Sangathan took up this issue and organised community to fight for dignity. Cases of harassment have definitely come down but it is still a long fight.
The sangathan has encouraged young adivasi girls to express their exploitation through theatre forum. The forum is addressing to the age old discriminatory practices and culture within their own community also. This has not been an easy task in the presence of the conservative elders and active RSS lobby. The self styled cultural and religious police in the villages are trying to deter women’s participation in the sangathan by false spreading rumors about the sangathan. Inspite of all these pressures these girls have come out and are preparing for leadership roles.
The sangathan has been dealing with the issues of effective governance for implementation of government welfare programs like food for work and public distribution system. A Padyatra (march) was organized by the sangathan in which 16 villages were covered for collection of primary information regarding the status of different schemes like PDS, education, NREGA etc. People’s moblisation on such issues has lead to effective implementation of various schemes.
