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The Palnadu region is
the most backward region of Guntur districts in AP. Agriculture in Palnadu—a
hilly region— is dependent on the vagaries of the monsoon. Although there are
some borewells for irrigation in some places, power shortage has always been a
serious problem. Ironically, the Right Bank canal of the Nagarjun-sagar runs
through the region but the people here have hardly any access to the water
flowing through the region. Consequently, the region is perennially
drought-prone and this year has turned out to be the worst in recent memory.
This year, the
condition of the peasantry had become worse as there were neither rains nor was
any water released to the Right Bank canal. Several acres of land lay fallow
last year due to the shortage of water and the peasants were on the brink of
starvation in several villages of Palnadu region as there was no employment in
the rural areas. Migration of labour took place in a big way and those who
stayed back in the villages tried to make both ends meet by collecting forest,
produce particularly wood, and selling it in the market.
The attitude of the
government machinery was highly callous and irresponsible. The ‘Food for Work’
programme turned out to be a big hoax and a racket that brought rich dividends
for the politicians-officials-traders combine. The rice which was supplied under
the scheme became the private property of the rich profiteers even as the vast
majority of the people in the rural areas languished without work and food.
Heavy machinery such as proclines were used for works like digging small tanks
in the forest thus further reducing the employment opportunities for the
peasantry. That the political leaders starting from the TDP ministers to the
village leaders swallowed the rice under the ‘Food for Work’ scheme to the tune
of hundreds of tonnes has been widely covered in the local media. The
unscrupulous transactions were so massive that it had even resulted in the drop
in the prices of rice in Tamil Nadu markets.
It was in such a
pathetic situation when the peasants had lost all hope on the government and
were caught in the worst crisis that they began to think of radical alternatives
like famine raids. They readily responded to the call given by the CPI(ML)
[People’s War] to confiscate the foodgrains from government godowns, big traders
and landlords. The famine raids began from the last week of July. The first
raids were conducted in Masaipalem and Chityala villages in Bellamkonda area
where the people led by the Viplava Raithu Cooly Sangam, confiscated the rice of
the ‘Food for Work’ programme and distributed it among themselves. 110 Quintals
were seized in Masaipalem and 106 Quintals in Chityala and each family received
one quintal of rice. Soon after this, the people of Regulagadda and Chennaipalem
villages in Dachepalli area confiscated 200 quintals of rice under the ‘Food for
Work’ scheme in Chennai-palem and distributed them among themselves. Again, in
the same area of Dachepalli, another 650 quintals were confiscated in
Muthyalam-padu and 80 quintals in Batrupalem villages. On August 20, raids were
conducted simultaneously in Ramapuram village in Dachepalli area and
Gummanampadu village in Bollapalli area in which hundreds of people
participated. 725 quintals of rice were confiscated in Ramapuram and 1000
quintals in Gummanampadu. The rice confiscated in the latter village was
distributed to the people of three villages.
These raids had a
positive impact on the masses in general especially in the context of the
daylight loot of the ‘Food for Work’ scheme rice by the TDP leaders that had
appeared in the media quite prominently. There was good support from the urban
middle-class and other sections. Seminars were held in Guntur and Sathenapalli
towns and the democratic organisations and individuals discussed the famine
problem. The government was shaken by the growing momentum of the famine raids
and the increasing participation of the masses. It unleashed several attacks in
order to check the growing tide of the famine raids. In the raids undertaken by
the police in the name of recovery of the confiscated goods, a reign of terror
was sought to be created. Houses were searched, people were beaten up and
harrassed, and hundreds of people were arrested. About 30-60 people were
arrested in each village where famine raids had taken place and cases of dacoity,
house-breaking, etc., were filed against 400 people and non-bailable warrants
were issued against them. Most of them are still languishing in jails. Women
resisted militantly when the police tried to arrest the people and recover the
goods from the people.
Scared by the growing
movement of the masses, the police and revenue officials took measures to shift
all the rice under the ‘Food for Work’ scheme to the Mandal centres which had
the protection of the police stations. Seeing the acute drought condition in the
villages, the local committees of the CPI(ML)[People’s War] and the VRCS units
discussed the new measures to be taken up in the background of the shifting of
the rice to the Mandal centres. They decided to confiscate the rice and other
daily necessities from the landlords and traders. This form of struggle to soon
became quite popular and received good response from the people at large.
In Dachepalli area,
houses of five landlords were attacked in Vema-varam village and rice and other
goods were confiscated. In this attack led by an LGS, 50 members of the people’s
militia and 200 people took part. About 20 lakh rupees worth property was
confiscated. When the police went to the village for recovering the property
from the people on the next day, the special guerrilla squad conducted an
ambush. One CI, and two police constables were killed and two weapons (1 SLR and
1 SMC) were seized. Following this daring attack on the police the latter became
scary to continue their attacks on the villages for recovery of the confiscated
goods. Having gained experience, the people too safeguarded the goods which they
had seized.
The biggest raid by
the people took place on October 31 — the last day of the tactical
counter-offensive campaign. 400 people from 15 villages attacked the houses of
landlords and traders in Morjampadu village in Bellamkonda area. This village of
about 10 thousand population has some of the biggest landlords and traders.
There are several shops in the 4 villages and they were stocked with goods due
to the impending festivals such as Dussehra and Deewali. In the raid on the
shops in Morjampadu Rs. 70 lakh worth of rice, clothes, other provisions were
confiscated by the people. As the people made preparations beforehand they could
preserve the confiscated goods safely without letting them fall into the hands
of the police. The earlier ambush by the guerrillas following the famine raid in
Vemavaram had discouraged the police from undertaking raids for the recovery of
the goods. They did not even go to the village until the next day. And when they
went the next day, it was mainly the forces from the neighbouring districts and
the Grey Hounds. These mercenary forces too did not dare to venture into the
village during day-time fearing resistance from the masses and the guerrillas.
The militia hurled bombs on the police at five places which made the police more
panicky while visiting the villages. They came in not less than a hundred and
carried out raids during the night, arrested people, and filed cases of dacoity
and burglary etc. However, despite all these efforts by the police to recover
the goods from the people, they could recover hardly a lakh of rupees worth of
goods.
The political leaders
and government officials did not dare to visit the village until after a week.
The minister for health in the state cabinet, Kodela Sivaprasada Rao — notorious
for goondaism and factional murders in the region — the DIG, and other top brass
visited Morjampadu after a thorough check of all the roads for possible land-mines.The
minister held meetings in the village and the nearby town of Piduguralla and
assured the landlords that they would be adequately compensated and that the
Naxalites would be crushed.
In November, three
famine raids were conducted in the villages of Gangalakunta, Gottipalla and
Kallakunta in Veldurthi area. 225 quintals of rice under the ‘Food for Work’
scheme were seized and distributed among the people.
There were a total of
12 famine raids in the district during August-November last and these had helped
the people to overcome starvation to some extent, in spite of the recovery of a
portion of the rice by the police. The total rice seized from the stocks of the
government’s scheme of ‘food for work’ in the entire district during this period
was 275 tonnes while from the landlords and traders in the two villages of
Vemavaram and Morjampadu one crore ruppees worth of rice and goods were seized.
The police recovered 100 tonnes of government rice but could not recover
anything significant from the last two big raids. These raids helped the people
of 35 villages to tide over the food shortage temporarily. Over thousand people
were arrested by the police during this period.
Not heeding the
serious repression let loose by the police, the people came out in hundreds
everywhere to undertake the famine raids. This became an important form of
struggle during the famine this year. People could be mobilised in large numbers
as the problem of famine was effectively linked to the ongoing people’s war.
Famine raids emerged as a powerful anti-feudal, anti-state struggle. The
government found it impossible to suppress the growing tide of the people’s
struggle against famine. People came out defying the state terror. People in
several villages invited the PW guerrillas to their village to lead the famine
raids.
Besides taking up the
famine raids there were also attempts by the local VRCS units to collect and
distribute rice to the people. Around 90 quintals of rice were collected from
the rice-millers, and traders and distributed among the Chenchu adivasis by the
VRCS. 10 kgs were given to adults and 5kgs to the children.
The efforts made by
the CPI(ML)[People’s War] in the district to address the famine problem had
created a good political impact on the masses. It showed the commitment of the
Party to the people’s interests. It showed the path to be followed by the masses
to solve the problem of famine temporarily and also made them ralise that
people’s war is the only real solution for the problem of famine. Moreover, by
taking the correct stand towards the various classes the PW could gain the wide
sympathy of the masses. For instance, when the rice from a middle peasant house
was taken away by mistake, it was returned to the peasant with an apology which
brought the middle peasantry even closer.
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