Part 4: Ruling Castes' betrayal of Adivasis

By Waman Meshram, National President, Bharat Mukti Morcha

Creation of Hunger-deaths line

Some months ago on behalf of Government of India Planning Commission released some statistics to media. Most often no government department discloses correct data, but shares false data, this fact is not hidden from anyone. Even then the statistics that that Planning commission disclosed if were believed as truth then Planning Commission has to say that in India nearly 20 crore people are victims of malnutrition. Later on central government too published these figures. Ruling caste people are very clever; they use the word ‘malnutrition’.

Our illiterate people do not understand the meaning of the word ‘malnutrition’ and they pass it off as a name of some disease. Ruling caste people use the word ‘malnutrition’ in hindi it is ‘kuposhan’ because if they use the word ‘hunger-death’ in hindi ‘bhookmari’ then forget about literate people even illiterate people would understand the meaning of this word. Ruling caste wants to hide the statistics of those to whom it has pushed into hunger-deaths. People own their own do not reach the brink of hunger-death; they are pushed into hunger-death in planned manner. If people come to about this then not only in India but through the world there will be reactions to this. In order to prevent this ruler of the country use the word ‘malnutrition’. Even common man is conversant with the word ‘bhookmari’ (hunger-death) because he dies as he is a victim of it.

At a time when Gandhi used to promote freedom struggle that time he used to assure public that when Country will be freed nations last man will be happy, will be prosperous. When country got independence from British that time 18 crore people used to live below poverty line. 59 years have passed since ruling caste got freedom from British; people living below poverty line instead of declining from 18 crore rose up to 40 crore. Actually this is also gross understatement as government always plays around with figures. In order to show people living poverty line less per capita income is shown more and their number is reduced. If we keep this in mind and then calculate then nearly 60 crore people will be seen as living below poverty line.

Before the programs of Privatization, Liberalization and Globalization began there never used be discussion on ‘bhookmari’ (hunger-deaths). Prior to starting of LPG program then Finance minister said in his Parliament speech that ‘we are starting this program of LPG meaning privatization, liberalization and globalization in order to finish poverty in India.

When LPG began then there was only one line named ‘poverty line’. In the decade of 1990s when privatization, liberalization and globalization program was started poverty line did not vanish but a new line emerged whose name is ‘hunger-death’ line. That this line has emerged is part of very big conspiracy. It is a part of planned conspiracy. Ruling caste think that I we do not finish mulnivasis then mulnivasis will finish us. In jungle law of this world one who is strong survives by catching and killing the weak one, and moves ahead. Our enemy (ruling castes) is victims of psychological fear. They think that ‘if I do not finish them then they will finish me.’

That’s why for the past one and a half decade enemy has enforced the program of Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization. After enforcing this program of Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization 250 welfare were stopped. Central government closing down these schemes resulted in our people on whom central government used to spend money, government that used make budgetary provisions to those living below poverty line, government stopped this budgetary provisions. This resulted in 20 crore 85 lakh people pushed on the brink of hunger-deaths.

Adivasis in Orissa’s Kalahandi and neighboring region do not get grains to eat. There people survive by eating boiled mango seeds. Due to absence of grains people are dying of hunger-deaths. When people die then government agencies say that the deaths occurred by eating boiled mango seeds. Government even refrains from taking responsibility of their death.

In the storehouses of Food Corporation of India every year rats eat grains worth four thousand crore. Our county’s prime minister, agriculture minister when they tour abroad speaks with bravado saying that ‘our country is making daily huge progress in terms of cultivation of grains. There is so much grain harvested in our country that there is shortage of place to store it.’ Government report says that in the store houses of Food Corporation of India every year grains lakhs of tones are stagnated.

When Jaswant Singh was finance minister of India that time of the MPs asked in Parliament that ‘when thousands of tons of food grains are rotting in government storehouses, they why that grains are not reaching to the people?’ That time Jaswant Singh answered that ‘it cost to transport this stagnant grain to the people and government does not have money to bear transport cost.’ On the other hand Jaswant Singh allotted 400 crore rupees to ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) in order to prepare for mission to moon. Yet after being asked in Parliament he says that government is unable to bear transport cost for transporting grains from government storehouses to the people.

Government makes budgetary allocations but does not release funds. Till funds are not released grains will keep stagnating in storehouses. When grains will not be reaching to our people then they will die of hunger-deaths in spite of grains being around in government storehouses. This example explains that in a planned manner our people are pushed on the brink of hunger-deaths.