There is some hope for the thousands of
jan satyagrahis who are marching from Gwalior to Delhi, as their five-member delegation is expected to take up their demands once again with Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh in Delhi today.
The protesters, under the banner of NGO Ekta Parishad, are marching from Gwalior to Delhi demanding a national land reform policy and plan to hand over a memorandum to the Centre to highlight their problems. The protesters from 26 states hope to complete this challenging journey by October 28.
The minister had met the
satyagrahis on October 2 in Gwalior and held discussions on their demands of land to everyone for housing and farming. He said that their demands are reasonable but the government would need at least six months to try and materialise it.
The
satyagrahis who are walking for the sixth day today will enter Uttar Pradesh, and by evening they will cover 90 km. These protesters are hoping that the outcome of today's talks with the minister is positive.
In a remote Patna district of Bihar, Badriram, a 50-year-old daily wager lives with his wife and 10 children in a 10 by 15 feet hut. Earning 2000 rupees a month, he has encroached on government land all his life and hopes that by joining the protest, he will one day have a piece of land to call home.
Benefits from the housing scheme Indira Aavas Yojna, the Centre's initiative to provide housing for the rural poor, have yet to reach people like Badriram. He says, "They (the Bihar government) say that till the time Central government does not give an approval till then they cannot give us land."
"They are blaming each other and we have got nothing," he adds.
Thousands of people facing similar issues have joined the protesters in the hope that the Central government will give them a piece of land for housing and farming. They walk during the day and sleep on the road during the night.
Jairam Ramesh's office got in touch with Ekta Parishad's chairman PV Rajgopal. Mr Rajgopal is expected to speak with Mr Ramesh soon to reach a resolution and end the deadlock between the Centre and the
satyagrahis.
The protesters are hoping for a resolution before they reach Delhi. However, if talks fail, they will intensify their agitation.