The campaign launched by the CPI (M) to occupy government land in urban areas for housing the poor has seen hundreds of the landless poor and party activists, beaten up by police and jailed in the last one week.
The occupation of vacant government land by the poor by planting red flags and putting up makeshift structures has provoked the government to ordered a crackdown on the occupiers. Hundreds of the occupiers are nursing wounds at home and in hospitals while others are languishing in police lock-ups.
Several cases have been registered against the party activists and leaders. Prohibitory orders have been imposed in Hyderabad, Cyberabad and Tirupati.
The CPI(M) has drawn up an action plan as part of its “Bhu Poratam” or struggle for land to be waged in 70 municipalities across Andhra Pradesh. This the first ever campaign taken up by the party in urban areas. The argument of the party is that while the government is sanctioning hundreds of acres of land to multinational companies, corporates and IT companies, it is stepping back when it comes to fulfilling its promise of providing houses to the poor, claiming there is no land available.The ambitious Rajiv Swagruha scheme which has been put on hold is a case in point.
“Our campaign will be continuous. We are determined to occupy land in 70 municipalities,” said P Madhu, party MP.

Support extended
He pointed out that out of the 76,000 houses promised, barely 7500 had been constructed. The opposition TDP, CPI and Telangana Rashtra Samiti have extended their support to the campaign.
However, ruling Congress party has likened the Marxists to naxalites and dismissed the campaign as merely “political”. Asking CPI(M) to give up the agitation, Home Minister K Jana Reddy said the strategy of the party was not only “unfortunate but intolerable” and that the government would not keep quiet. He pointed out that the government was committed to spend Rs 500 crore on giving land to the poor and that it had already distributed 4.37 lakh acres. He said land could not be distributed in “one go” and that it needs to be “planned”.
The opposition, however, points out that the policeturned a blind eye to the “massive land-grabbing” by the politically connected people. For instance the Gurukul Ghatkesar lands have been illegally acquired by a brother of the CM. Besides, out of the 55 lakh acres of land distributed to the poor in the last 50 years, about a quarter of it was in the possession of the rich and the powerful, it pointed out.
Meanwhile, 195 organisations have come together and set up a united land struggle committee to lend support to the campaign. The campaign will be intensified from Tuesday, according to CPI(M).