Will the National Alliance of People's Movements be a whiff of Fresh air blowing in winds of change, reforming the way the country views development?
Together we stand
THE hall was packed to its capacity, as
environmental activist Medha Patkar
spoke to students from Delhi University
on the idea behind the National Alliance
of People's Movements (NAPM)'. " Vikas
kya hai, agar humko tai karna hai,
to akendrit kijiye (If we are to
delcide what development is, we
need to decentralise). Give power
to the people," she exhorted. Her
statement succinctly summed up
the philosophy inspiring the NApm,
a conglomeration of like-minded
mass-based organisations which
have joined hands to strive for a
common goal.
On February 22, a group of
about 25 NAPm activists from all
over the country stopped over in
Delhi for three days before continuing -their yatra (travelling campaign). The yatris had set out from
Ahmedabad on January 30 and
will conclude their march at
Wardha, Maharashtra, on March
13 (Down To Earth, Vol 4, No 19).
The activists have already visited
I I states and will traverse another five,
meeting local organisations and holding
public meetings.
Throughout the country - whether
in the Narmada valley, in Bastar's
forests or in coastal areas - people have
long been struggling to assert their
rights over their lands -and natural
resources. But these efforts have been
isolated and have often lost out to powerful lobbies. Said Patkar, "The government is talking about how liberalisation
and the New Economic Policy (NEP)Will
benefit us. But the truth lies in the people's feelings and anguished voices."
The NAPm seeks to rally these voices and
put forward an alternative development
model to render the people more
powerful.
"The problems of displacement and
loss of natural resources are just the
symptoms. The disease is the (NEP) and
we have to fight it," pointed out Ram
Dhiraj, convenor, Azadi Bachao
Andolan, a member organisation of
NAPM. "The yatra is all about chalking
out new ways to fight the disease,"
revealed Dhiraj. Patkar also raised her
voice against the government's skewed
priorities. Referring to the indefinite
hunger strike in Delhi by adivasis agitating for the implementation of the
Bhuria Committee Report, she said,
"Tribals have to go on a fast to get a law
that already exists implemented. But
export-import policies are changed and
passed readily."
Such an attitude could not go
unchallenged, resolved the participants.
"We have to create a policy that puts
people above Pepsi," declared Thomas
Kocherry, president, National Fish-
workers' Forum. And he is confident
that tangible results shall emerge by
effectively channelising people's power.
"The P Murari Committee's unanimous
recommendation to cancel all the
licences issued jointly, to Indian and
foreign fishing companies for deep see
fishing is a perfect example," said
Kocherry.
But some amongst the yatris conjured up a rather impractical and naive
picture of what they called an alternative. While Dhiraj swore by "a simple
and self-contained life", Nafisa of Yuva
Gram, Jhabua, Madhya Pradesh,
gave a call to "form small cooperatives, kick out large banks and
force multi-national corporations
to close shop in the country",
Most yatris, however, admit that
they are still in search of an alternative model of development.
The blueprint for this model
will perhaps crystallise at Wardha
where the yatra shall conclude
with an expected 300-400 activists
congregating from all over the
country at a national convention.
The future course of action will
hinge on the outcome of their
meet. "The alliance may lead to a
national democratic alternative,"
says M P Mathai, convenor,
Pooyamkutty Campaign. While an
alliance with any political party is
ruled out, the NAPm sees itself playing the role of a pressure group influencing electoral candidates.
All has not been smooth for the
NAPM, as a misunderstanding is reported
to have taken place amongst the participants. A scheduled visit to Alwar,
Rajasthan, with a prominent local NGO,
Tarun Bharat Sangha (TBS) had been
cancelled as the TBs has been allegedly
receiving foreign funds, an allegation
which Shantiswarup Data, a TBS trustee,
denies. The organisers tried to hush up
the matter. "We do not discriminate
against foreign-funded organisations,"
clarified Vimal of Himalaya Bachao
Andolan. "This was just a logistical
problem." For the sake of the good that
would accrue to the people, one hopes
the organisers are able to prevent
the movement from being affected by
internal fissures.
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