Prafulla Samantra is one of the national conveners of National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM). He has been actively participating in various democratic people’s movements to protect human rights, environment and right to livelihood of millions in Odisha and elsewhere in the country. His mission is to have alternative development that is sustainable development to replace the present economic models of high consumerism and greed. Samntara is actively mobilizing people to create opinion against destruction of forest, agricultural land, water resources, indiscriminate mining in the name of development. He is involved in various people’s movement against big corporations, who are plundering natural resources.
Excerpts from an interview
What made you to involve in democratic people’s movements to protect human rights, environment and right to livelihood of millions of people in Orissa state as well as in the country?
Since my student’s career I am committed to raise my voice against injustice, inequality and undemocratic actions in a democratic polity. For this I was victimised during the national emergency in 1975. I was imprisoned for one year under the Maintenance of Internal security Act (MISA). After 1990, the state has ceased to be welfare and democratic oriented, and turned into a market-controlled entity where the people’s rights over natural resources have been taken away for profits of corporations. And ultimately the marginalised and poor tribals, farmers and labourers have to struggle to protect their land, water and forest that are the gift of nature as their primary source of life and livelihood. It was a call of the day for me to join this struggle.
In the beginning of globalisation, privatisation and liberalisation in India, I have been involved in campaign against economic reforms which were nothing but to reduce responsibilities of the state for socio-economic justice to the people and to serve the interest of the market.
In the process of more reforms the accumulation of capital increased through investments which displaced people from agriculture land, forest and habitats. The state’s democratic apparatus like Parliament, state assemblies, bureaucracy and even the judiciary followed the policy of LPG (liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation). Consequently, the violation of human rights by the state increased. Destruction of environment intensified when the free flow of foreign capital was allowed to the mining sectors. In the name of development, natural resources are being appropriated and rights are being taken away though we have constitutional guarantee of right to live with dignity and freedom to dissent.
The democratic people’s struggles against displacement have been emerging in Odisha which has become the laboratory of foreign investment to plunder our resources. Really I am inspired by these people who love and worship their land, water and forest. I could feel that as a concerned citizen I must serve the marginalised lot, to protect their right to live and livelihood and to protest violence unleashed by the state through its economic policy being dictated by imperial forces like the World Bank, IMF etc. Unless the people have right to their development, the root of democracy would be nowhere. To have a sustainable economic development, it is necessary to mobilise people to participate in democratic movements as Mahatma Gandhi has showed us the way as the means to justify the end. I am discharging my constitutional duty when I involve in democratic struggles against corporate’s plundering of resources and state’s undemocratic action.
Your mission is to have alternative development that is sustainable development to replace the present economic models in the state. But will it work when price hike and corruption in the country seems to be limitless?
The root cause of price rise and limitless corruption is the free market economic policy. When opted for free market liberalisation, it was argued that the public sector and government agencies had become corrupt. Therefore, privatisation would bring honesty and clean administration being free from corruption. But it happened in opposite direction, fuelling more corruption. Prior to 1990, the most-talked about corruption case was Rs 64-crore Bofors scandal. After `90s from Harshad Mehata’s stock exchange scam to the 2G spectrum of Ts 1.76 lakh crore, UTI, Telgi stamp, CWG and Adarsha Housing Scam, numerous skeletons tumbled out of government’s cupboard.
All these scams are linked directly or indirectly to the corporate interests and open market exploitation of common men’s saving money. There are also scams in MoUS (Memorandums of understanding) between the government and corporate houses. The POSCO deal in Odisha is a case in point. The Odisha government t is to give iron ores of 600 million tonnes to the South Korean firm not at market price but on lease. The lease rate of iron ore was Rs 27 where as the domestic market price and global market price was Rs. 5000/- and Rs. 7000/-, respectively, when the MOU was signed in June, 2005. Even now the market price is more than 6000 where as the lease rate is 1/10 of the market price. The direct profit out of iron ores to the company is more than 2.50 lakh rupees. Can we imagine how much out of this could be distributed as part of bribe or donations to the ruling political parties and bureaucracy, along with media managers who are for POSCO at the cost of our people’s right our resources? Similarly the resources are being looted by Tata, Jindal, Rungta and will be looted by Mittal, Sterlite and many others. The government did not care to follow any rule of law or constitutional obligations to fulfil the interest of Vedanta Resources. Bribe was paid to silence politicians, media and use bureaucracy. This is the crux of corrupt socio-economic and political system that’s growing by leaps and bounds.
In order to curb corruption in politics and financial sectors the need of the hour is to prevent corporations from grabbing natural resources.
When we talk of sustainable development, the basic need is to maintain the existence of natural resources like land, water and forest. Now, the market forces convert these resources into commodities and ultimately to financial capital. This is enemy of equity and equality. Every human being has an equal right over nature. Nobody has right to take more than necessity. Therefore in a sustainable economy there should be national and global policies by which there can be restriction to limitless exploration of non-renewable resources. The economic policy must be accordingly by which there should be no exploitation of resources for over consumption and luxury. For example, the indiscriminate and limitless mining of bauxite leads to over production of aluminum which is to be used for luxury items military hardware. These have no places in a sustainable development for which a mountain of rich bio diversities like Niyamgiri is to stay forever to feed the tribals and farmers. Bauxite is not for only aluminum, it is basically for perennial water resources. When bauxite is exhausted, the water flow is depleted and it is contaminated by alumina industry. Similarly after development of agriculture and food, production land is inevitable. We cannot destroy food basin for industrialisation.
We can check price rise through sustainable development, where role of market and profit speculation is limited. In a state like Odisha sustainable development can produce more food, more forest products and can use more labour forces in an equitable manner by which the purchasing power of marginalised tribals, agriculture labourers and small farmers can be increased and life with dignity can be ensured.
You were against big corporations who are plundering natural resources like POSCO, Vedanta, Tata and many more. What hurdles you have faced from government and their owners during your fight?
As an activist, when I participate, organise people movements, mobilise public opinion against corporate plunder and campaign for solidarity for anti-displacement mass movements. I face the ire of the government’s ruling agents and companies like the use police force to suppress people’s resistance and book under false charges. After the police firing in Kashipur in December 2000, where three tribals were shot dead, I was booked under a false charge like attempt to murder (CRPC 307) along with other local people who has been agitating against Utkal Alumina International. I have been facing trial though the judicial commission exonerated me in this case.
Even the corporate goons physically attacked me along with other leaders in Kashipur area forcing me to be away from tribals. At times, I was approached by the middlemen of companies to be influenced by financial benefits, but they did not succeed. Being frustrated, Vedanta Company’s goons had attempted twice to attack me physically at Jharsuguda and Lanjigarh on September 19 and 20, 2010 after the mining in the Niyamgiri hills was denied and forest and environment clearance was suspended. I am one of the original petitioners to the Supreme Court’s Central Empowered committee against establishment of pollutant Alumina Plant and mining of bauxite in Niyamgiri. The committee had recommended ban on mining in Niyamgiri.
When the democratic movements of people became stronger, the police tried to prevent activists like me to reach villages of movements and company’s hired goons also attack on the way. Once in July, 2009, goons of Vedanta Company hijacked our vehicle in which five activists, including me, were going to address tribal rally in the Niyamgiri hills. We were rescued by tribals. I have many such experiences of corporate crimes and state terrorism.
Industrialisation based on resource grabbing is not a solution. Such development creates new poverty zones after people have been displaced from livelihood sources. This industrialisation is pauperization of aam aadmi. The industries based on agricultural and forest products can solve problem of poor people. Small scale industries like sugar mill, spinning mill, textiles, food processing can give more employment and support production in Odisha. After privatization, sugar and spinning mills have closed down. Are these are not industries? Forty five proposed steel plants in Odisha will destroy two lakh (unit?) of agricultural land, consume water from reservoirs and rivers meant for agriculture and destroy thousand acres of forest cover through mining and for these, power plants are necessary. All these will pollute land, air and water. Who will consume steel? This is for rich and global market for profit.
We just celebrated 65th Independence day of India. How much ecologically balanced India is till now? Do you have any suggestions?
Many regions in India have lost green cover because of developmental models. Many places have become desert after mining. Rivers have become dead, some become most pollutant. There are most toxic contaminated and pollutant area, where millions have been displaced. Unpredictable climate change is taking place.
We have to protect our coastal zones, deep forests, agriculture and perennial water systems. There must be a national policy to what extent and how much we can sacrifice our natural resources to strengthen the economy.
In the name of development, let us not surrender our sovereignty and freedom to the corporations, who are directed by the imperialist forces of capitalism.
Long Live Freedom, Long Live Nature.
