While the Government of India is busy in inviting the multinational companies and investors, over one hundred fifty movements and organisations from 15 states have declared their total opposition to the multinational companies and multilateral agreements like GATT, WTO and incoming Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) on April 27-28, 1998, at the unique Janadhikar Panchayat ( The Council of People's Rights) held in Delhi. It was for the first time since the new government at centre had assumed power that the people's movements from all over country have reasserted the basic issues regarding the life, rights and resources of the people and the sustainable, equitable development as have emerged through their struggles. The Panchayat, consisting of over 5000 women and men of different languages and terrains, declared its unequivocal oppsotion to the forces of globalisation, privatisation and so called liberalisation which in effect means the monopolisation of the means of the livelihood and natural resources.
The Panchayat ( people's council) was organised by the National Alliance of Peoiple's Movements, a process of the coordiantion of the efforts by various movements throughout India for last five years.
The organisations also declared the campaign against the imposition of the iodised salt all over India and banning the natural salt produced by thousands of salt farmers. The campaign will be launched from June 5, the day on which Jaiprakash Narayan, the veteran Socialist leader who spearheaded the people's movement for the restoration of democracy in India during the regieme of Indira Gandhi,launched his programme of 'Total Revolution'. Apart from rallies, demonstration against the compulsion and imposition of the iodised salt in all parts of India, the movements will be selling the natural salt in open as a part to defy the unjust provision. This would be another 'Salt Satyagraha' after the historic Salt Satyagraha by Mahatma Gandhi against the impostion of salt tax by the British. The National Alliance of People's Movements has been making a well researched case against such imposition of iodised salt, wwhich in effect is a step to help the national-international capital even in the case of such a simple case of salt to the detriment of the salt producers and consumers.
The organisations also have decalred to intensify the struggle againest the infamous ENRON power project on Konkan coast of Maharashtra and in South India where the company is trying to enter. It was a heartening sight when the villagers from Kerala whre the ENRON was to come, expressed gratitude and felicitated the villagers from Konkan who have been struggling against the ENRON powerr project for last four years. The Kerala government has recently refused entry for the ENRON, due to the people's opposition the company has been facing in Maharashtra. Thus though the people in Konkan are still struggling against the continuing construction of the ENRON power plant their struggle has saved the people in Kerala. The National Alliance has been participating in the anti-ENRON struggle taking up it as one of the major issues.
The organisations discussed at length the farmers' plight in India due to the unjust cost management and due to the so called Green Revolution technology, now accompanied by the onalaught of global capital and market. They decided to strengthen the farmers' movements througought India and declared support for the Farmers' Rally that was to be held at Hyderabad on May 1. The National Alliance has been taking up the issues of Dalits (scheduled castes), backward classes and castes and minorities and has declared that it would continue to do so more effectively, with a constant dialogue between the movement sof Dalits, Bahujans, minorities,women and the movments against the displacement, disparity and for alternatives.
The organisations also declared their stiff opposition to the impending changes in the patent law of India under the pressure from multilateral agreements and companies. A programme will be chalked out to intensify the resistance for such a change.
The first day of Janadhikar Panchayat was devoted to the public hearings on the issues raised by various organisations throughout the nation. The Jan Sunwai was launched by Mr. Justice (Rtd) P.B. Samant, Chairman of the Press Council Of India. He came out against the present policy and paradigm of development which benifitted only the capitalists and advocated the people's planning based on their priorities, knowledge, skills and aspirations. Thomas Kocherry, the National Coordinator of the Alliance, cautioned the people against the imposition of industries, technology and machines, production processes unwanted in the Western countries which would cause displacement, destruction and disparity in India. Medha Patkar, the outgoing National Coordinator, clarified the need for the Public Hearing on the issues raised by the people's movements, as all the channels - either in the government set up or in media- seemed incapable of taking a serious cognisance of the issues of survival, equality, and sustainabilty emerging ut of the movments in India.
The Jan Sunwai was divided into four major themes : the Displacement, Disparity and the Altenative; the issues of Dalits, Bahujan, Women and Minorities; MNCs and the Globalisation of Development; the Centralisation of Power and Power to the People. The organisations came up with well argued and well documented cases and the 'panchs' ( juries) consisted of eminent people, jurists, journalists, experts, prominent social activists.
Each case regarding the struggle against the displacement brought out the total anti-people and class biased nature of the developmental projects, policies and paradigm behind them. The cases of the displaced people in Koyana Dam in 1960s in Maharashtra, in the Narmada valley, of the multiple displacement in Singrauli from 1961, the struggles in Orissa against BALCO mines, the Missile Range at Baliapal, and the Tata Steel Plant at Gopalpur on shore, a rich land producing exotic and aromatic plant of kevada, the urban displacement in Bhati Mines area in Delhi, Calcutta Mumbai, Dalits land issue ( panchami land) in Tamilnadu, the anti-airport struggle in Kerala and the woes of the people affected by the Damodar River Valley Projects in South Bengal -all have the same message regarding the prevalent Development policy and projects and the inevitability of the people's strugle at all these points, opposing this development and thereby setting up the parametres of the true development.
The discussions on the Dalit and Bahujan issues brought out the presnt structures of exploitation and inequality and thresponses from the victims - individuals or in communities. The struggle by the sanitary worker's community (mehtar), the panchami land struggle in South India, women's struggles and their issues and the issues of the Muslim, Christians for equality and survival all focussed on the need for doing away with the internal contradictions within the society alongwith the struggle against the outside onslaught. The theses of MNCs brought out the adverse impact of globalisation in all sectors and the people's struggel in form of Azadi Bachao Andolan, Fishworkers' struggle, the struggle by peasants, against ENRON, Maheshwar hydro-power project in Narmada valley, Shell company near Allahabad. In the fourth hearing the people's responses to the present development were enumerated and the movments demanded the complete right to information, prohibition of alcohol, equal treatment for farmers and the need for developing people's power at the village and community level.
The Panchayat also organised a ' Vikalp Mela', an exhibition of the efforts, processes, and production on altenative and sustainable lines by organisations. Over 40 such stalls drew attention of the peoeple in and out of Delhi.