Volume 1, No. 7, September 2000

G : It was established in December ’98.

G : All the mass organisations existed — i.e., DAKMS, KAMS, Bala Sanghatana. Also we had formed a cooperative society (Sahakar Sanghatana) in the village.

G: We are five members — one from the DAKMS (peasant organisation), one from the KAMS (women’s organisation) one from the cooperative society and one representative of the rich peasantry, plus myself. There is a rule, as part of the UF policy, to keep a rich peasant representative in the committee. Of the other four two are from middle peasant background and two from poor peasant background.

G : Yes, as in most areas, we have two sub-committees — a Vikas (development) Committee and a school-hospital committee. Each have three members,with a GRC member taking responsibility for each and acting as its chairman.

G : Once the party decided that a GRC could function in our village, the issue was discussed at length in our cell meeting. Possible representatives in the committee were also considered. Then one day when the squad came to our village and the party SAC (Squad Area Committee) members were present a meeting of the entire village was called. Any relatives etc., present in the village were not allowed to attend. As the GRC is secret it is only know to the local villagers (if there are any suspicious elements in the village they too are not allowed to attend). Children too are not allowed to attend as anyhow they cannot vote. Then SAC members and myself explained the concept of the GRC as the new organs of power and how it differed from the earlier mass organisations. Then the villagers were asked to suggest names of individuals to the committee after explaining the criteria. The names suggested were mostly those thought of by the cell. Finally, all five were elected by a show of hands. All the five then took a pledge to work for the poor and against the existing system.

G: The committee meets every 15 days as per the rule. At these meetings, we discuss all issues from development works to settlement of disputes to the question of election boycott. And plans are made. Those that are to be taken up by the sub-committees are allocated to them and they work out the details. Also, when important decisions are to be taken, a general meeting of villagers is called. So far one Grama Sabha has been called to review our functioning. There were no complaints against any committee member.

G : The GRC is relatively new. We have now more systematically taken up the development work already initiated earlier. Besides, we have again this year taken the lead in organising the villagers into mutual aid teams for agricultural work.

G : First we have constructed a water tank through our own cooperative labour. A little work still remains — the pipe and cement work has to be built for release of water. We will complete it after the present agricultural season is over. This year we have distributed plots in the area below the tank to all villagers so that they can take out two crops on the land. We have had to clear part of the forest for this. The poor peasants were given more land.

Three years back we planted an orchard of guava and mango plants. About 80 plants survive. Once the fruits come we will distribute half amongst the villagers and sell the other half.

Last year we also did some cooperative farming of vegetables. We sold half the crop, earning some Rs. 300, and distributed the rest.

Since the last two years some 10 families have been preparing compost pits with cow-dung, twigs, leaves etc., This is collected throughout the year and then put on the land. There is much resistance to adopting new agricultural techniques. Though the party has been continuously propagating about these compost pits, transplanting of rice, weeding, etc., till now, in the village only three houses do transplanting and none do weeding.

G : Land here is abundant, it is easier to cut some forest and throw some seeds and take out a crop, however limited.

G : Forest is necessary too, but the poor peasants also need more land. Most villagers here produce about 15 quintal (1500 kg) of paddy (Dhan) which is not enough for the full year. The balance has to be made up by selling mahua fruit (gathered in the forests in summer). They also work for 15 days to one month on the chilli farms in AP (across the border). This gives them some Rs. 300 to Rs. 400 plus chillis for the whole year. Ofcourse, better agricultural methods will give sufficient produce for all, but people are not ready to adopt it. (I later discovered from the DVC, that part of the problem was the lack of a labour force to do proper farming, which could be solved by more cooperative effort. Also leveling of the land etc., required cooperative effort)

G : Most had no land at all. To do even a small plot of forest land, the forest officials would harass us and we would have to bribe them with chicken, goats, liquor, etc. The patel of the village also accumulated a lot of land on non-payment of debts. After the entry of the squads/party all of us have got land. 10 acres of the patel’s lands were distributed to the poor peasants. Now in the village there are three rich peasants, and all support us. While digging the water tank two of us, including myself lost part of our land. But we willingly gave it for the common good, and we also have sufficient land.

G : The party began a school where 25 children registered. A teacher came from another village. It ran very well for year — and they even won a prize in a inter-region kabaddi tournament. But then the teacher died, and we have not been able to find another educated person in this area.

G : The sub-committee is running a medical centre. The two members of the sub-committee were trained by the squad in basic medicine. Then 8 to 10 basic drugs were purchased. For this Rs. 300 was taken from the cooperative fund (got through the sale of vegetables) and Rs. 300 was given by the party. It is functioning slowly, as people’s faith in the ‘vadde’ (witch-doctor) is not easy to break. People pay the cost price for the medicine. The medicines cover most of the routine diseases in our village.

G : The Gram panchayat which existed for decades did nothing for the people. While the GRC is an organ of power of the poor people to suppress the rulers and village gentry and to conduct development activity for the masses.

G : Under the earlier system, there was no security of life. Most people had no land. The zamindars, patels etc., took over people’s land. The patels and sarpanch (of Gram Panchayat) were the worst exploiters, looting the people through the ‘panch’ (justice system) — they even killed people who opposed them, with their bow and arrow. Then the forest officials were a terror, beating people, extracting money, arresting them etc. Now all this has stopped. We have our own land. We run our own lives.

G : Who will work under threats ? The support is due to the approach of the party, that supports the poorer classes against the rich. So the poor support it, the landlords, officials, sarpanch, etc., oppose it.

G : Will the enemy listen to you without it ? By mere talking none of these powerful people will listen to you. Even earlier it was the bow and arrow that decided. We cannot win a new ‘Raj’ without the gun.

G : We will tell them to leave us alone as they have never done anything for us. If they don’t listen we will fight.

G : The GRC held a meeting in the village to boycott the elections. Not a single person voted from this village, not even the patel.

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