2104 Christian Aid News 16pg_FA

InDIA: sUCCess OF THe
MARCH FOR LAnD RIGHTs
The march crosses the
Chambal Bridge on Day five.
The line goes on for as far as
the eye can see.
photo credits: Ekta parishad
On 11th October Christian Aid
partner Ekta Parishad was able
to call off the Jan Satyagraha
march after just one week, as
the Indian Government agreed
to the marchers’ demands for
land rights. The march – which
was expected to last one month
– was the main cover story
in the summer edition of this
magazine.
Since the march was called off, the
Land Reform Task Force (set up as
part of the agreement) has met for the
first time and agreed various action
points with timelines within 90 days.
Ekta Parishad’s President is one of 11
members of this Task Force. While the
agreement and subsequent progress
is encouraging, Ekta Parishad are
willing to re-call the 60,000 marchers
to continue the march to Delhi if the
government fail to fulfil their promises.
anand Kumar, Christian Aid’s Country
Manager in India said,
young women from Assam lead their group on Day Three of the march with local folk dances.
‘Congratulations to Ekta
parishad and the marchers. This
is a true example of people’s
victory through peaceful
negotiation.
‘Access to land is critical for
the eradication of poverty. We
hope that today’s success will
give hope and inspire other land
struggles in other parts of the
world.’
Thank you to our supporters for all
your prayers, commitment and
solidarity surrounding this march.
By publicly supporting Ekta parishad’s
campaign we helped give credibility
to those who were marching and there
is no doubt that this international
pressure helped to bring about the
successful agreement.
Christian Aid Ireland 7