Land march from Gwalior to Delhi via NGOs, Socialists in Belgium and France

On sunday, when 25,000 people enter Delhi demanding land rights for the displaced and the landless, among them are 250 foreigners...

On sunday, when 25,000 people enter Delhi demanding land rights for the displaced and the landless, among them are 250 foreigners from 29 countries who have walked with them from Gwalior to Delhi. All, searching for a cause, have found it in the rally organised by P V Rajagopal, the founder of Ekta Parishad.

For him, this is the culmination of three years of networking with NGOs not just in rural Madhya Pradesh where he is based but in Paris, Berlin and London, too. Of course, helped by the power of the Net — emails, websites that spell out the key demands: a national land authority, fast-track courts and a single-window system to deal with land and livelihood disputes.

Ragagopal met European members of parliament, including European Parliament Vice-President Gérard Onesta, during the December 2006 parliamentary session in Strasbourg. The Euro-MPs confirmed their support to Ekta Parishad and sent a petition to the Prime Minister too.

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Various French Socialist politicians François Hollande, Henriette Martinez , Marie-Christine Blandin joined in to express support to the rally.

The fund-raising was done systematically too. Ekta Parishad’s calculations showed that roughly 60 Euros a day is required to fund a single padyatri. It would require roughly Rs 3-4 crore to feed, shelter and march the 25,000 people for 30 days.

The biggest donations have come from Oxfam, Christian Aid and Concern Worldwide — contributing to nearly a third of the entire budget.

A large chunk came from Ekta-Europe, a group of organisations and individuals who have been supporting Ekta Parishad’s smaller efforts in various states. Some of them have been around since 2000 when Rajagopal worked with the state government to secure land rights for 3.80 lakh people in Madhya Pradesh.

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There are five large NGOs from France that are supporting this march, including the big Solidari’te. “I got to know about the march through leaflets being distributed by these large NGOs in France,” said Francois Verlet who is paying 10 Euros a day to march and make a video film over two weeks.

Some smaller European organisations have been Ekta Prishad associates for 15 years now. Action Village India is a mid-size charity in the UK. “We think that India’s rural population has no other form of social security, no skills. Land is what can ensure a better future for them and the next generation,” said Ivan Nutbrown, head of Action Village India from the UK. There are those who have come for the first time: MST from Brazil, Kenya Land Alliance and Uganda Land Alliance.

Via Campasena is also there, one of the largest groups in Europe that claims to work on farmers’ rights along with Fugea, an NGO in Belgium. “We decided to support this as we can understand the situation here,” says Fugea member Delwarte Xavier who is a sheep farmer from Binche, a village outside Brussels.

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