'We're Not From BJP, Don't Say Murdabad,' Rahul Gandhi to tribals in Chhattisgarh

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi today tried to strike a chord in the heartland of tribal Chhattisgarh, where land acquisition is a burning issue.

During his first day of his two-day visit to the state, he spoke at length with forest dwellers who are bound to lose their land to at least a dozen coal mining projects and 30 new power plants coming up in the catchment areas of Hansdeo Bango dam.

"If you want to take over land from tribals, you have to seek their permission first. You can't snatch it without them agreeing to it," he told the people assembled from nearly 20 villages in tribal-dominated Korba. And then he admonished the crowd that was shouting slogans against the BJP - "We are not from the BJP, we don't say 'murdabad' (death). Please don't say that. We are here for a cause."

Mr Gandhi's party, the Congress, has been consistently opposing the amended land acquisition bill in Parliament, managing to stall it in the upper house of Parliament. In Delhi and Uttar Pradesh the party has held massive protests against the bill.

Around 20 villages in Korba and Janjgir-Champa districts in north Chhattisgath, where coal plants and power projects are coming up, have already passed a resolution rejecting the government's acquisition move. Activists say over 15,000 villagers would be displaced by these projects without any compensation.

Slamming the land bill, he said, "Near Delhi, in Noida, they (the government) took away land belonging to farmers and have made a racing track. The farmers are in tears".

Mr Gandhi took on the development model of Prime Minister Narendra Modi too, alleging that the tribals do not stand to benefit from it. "If development happens in the area, you have to ensure that our adivasi (tribal) brothers are a part of that journey," he said.

On Tuesday, Mr Gandhi is expected lead a foot-march for farmers, party leaders and workers from Saradih village to Dabhra in Janjgir-Champa district, where the state government is building seven barrages on Mahanadi.