In what could be called a brilliant move to pressurise the political candidates, the members of the All India Union of Forest Workers People are negotiating with them in forest areas to look into their various demands. The simple funda that they are following is “First Give and Then Take” implying that they first give the assurance that they would look into issues like claims under the Forest Right Act, solve the problems like atrocities by the police and the forest department, only then the Union would vote for them.
The negotiations are being carried out just before the polling date. Deputy General Secretary of the Union, Roma, while talking to The Pioneer said that they are meeting the local candidates of all the regional parties in Renukoot on May 1 (labour Day) where they will take a written assurance from the candidate as against their demand charter.
She said that the dialogue will be carried out at Renukoot which has the industries and the forests. She also emphatically pointed out that the demand charter which covers the adivasis, dalits, musims , tribals, scheduled tribes and other forest dwellers has the prime aim of saving the forests.
The demands include the key issues of FRA (Forest Rights Act), Withdrawal of false cases filed by the forest officials and the police in the forest area, granting of Community Forest Rights, formation of NTFP (Non Timber Forest Produce) Co-operatives and review of 70,000 rejected claims.
Interestingly, she does not consider man-animal conflict as an issue which she points out is the primarily the creation of the forest department who carry out illegal felling of trees that causes forest destruction. She believes that forest dwellers live in harmony with animals.
Commenting on their strategy she said, “It is always believed that the political parties contest election but people watch this process and vote passively. In the discussions held under Sungharsh-2014, we decided that it is not only political parties that contest election but the people of this country too contest election, hence, it is important to show our power as it is the time, the political parties come begging to the people and listen to them. This strategy has given tremendous strength to the community people, who are now actively engaging themselves in the political dialogue with the candidates in the area and with the Government at the State level.”
Pointing to their demands she said, “We believe that in the poor, backward and especially the forest region the main fight is against the neo-liberal regime, capital that is blatantly taking over the natural resources with huge profit margins, hence, uprooting the local people from their livelihood resources and environment. They are posing a serious threat to the environment against which only the people especially women who are dependent on these natural resources are fighting. It is through organised people unity only that the corporate and imperialist policies could be attacked,” she said.
She added that this needs to be challenged also in this electoral battle. This intervention in the election will empower politically and will give them lot of energy to carry this fight in a long run.Roma said that they were only looking at the regional parties which were associated with the region because they will be the ones who will be implementing the policies.
On being asked if the political parties step back once they win the elections, she said, “We assume that this process will not end after the election but will continue even after the election. It is important for the people to stay in the electoral battle to push their demands of dignified human living conditions, about their basic human rights, labour rights, protection of women, rights to natural resources, Constitutional rights as enshrined in our Constitution” she said.
On the issue of man animal conflict she said that there was no such issue.“It is the prime creation of the forest department that encourages illegal felling. left with no habitat the forests rush towards the other areas,” she alleged.