Battle in Kerala
With all 20 Lok Sabha seats in Kerala at stake in the second phase of polling tomorrow, the electoral drama unfolds with its usual intensity, underscoring the unique political landscape of the state.
CPI(M) Secretary Ghulam Nabi Malik on Tuesday said that the “Real Estate Summit” organized by the government to encourage corporate companies to buy land and other properties in Jammu and Kashmir will affect and endanger the livelihood of farmers of the region.
In a statement, Malik said allowing the use of agricultural land for non-agricultural purposes is another nail in the coffin of the “land to the tiller” reforms in J&K. This landmark reform has been a major reason for the low levels of poverty and it will also threaten the food security of the people of J&K.
He said the fact that this conversion of land use which doesn’t require the 15-year domicile certificate as a prerequisite, will also “rekindle fears about the motives behind such decisions”.
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The real estate in J&K will be purchased by corporate companies who have the blessings of the BJP and it will not give any benefit to the economy of the region, he feared.
The government needs to clarify what benefits the corporate sector has given to the economy at the national level? Depriving common people of their jobs and livelihood and maximization of profits is the sole aim of the corporate sector and wants to change the demography of the region, Malik said.
He alleged that by pulverizing the democratic space, the BJP is brazenly taking pride in destroying every institution of democracy. The BJP government has decimated decades of investment in peace and democracy in J&K at the cost of mere political gains. It is a serious issue and the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh must fight against it unitedly.
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