Landless Rural Poor Mobilize in Koppal Demanding Land Rights

Web desk

Published on May 15, 2025, 05:48 PM | 3 min read

Koppal, Karnataka: Thousands of landless rural poor gathered today in Karnataka’s Koppal district, demanding immediate legal land titles for the agricultural land they have been cultivating for generations. The massive public meeting was jointly organized by the Agricultural Workers’ Union, the Farmers’ Union, the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) \[CPI(M)].

Comrade B. Venkat, General Secretary of the All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU), delivered keynote address, slamming successive governments for their failure to protect the rights of the rural poor.

“Development should not mean dispossession,” said Venkat. “We strongly oppose the forcible acquisition of agricultural land from the marginalized under the guise of ‘development’. The landless poor have been cultivating these lands for decades — they deserve titles, not eviction notices.”

The rally was held against the backdrop of mounting discontent among rural communities over land acquisition policies. Activists claim that over one million acres of cultivated land across Karnataka are under threat, with thousands of acres already seized in districts like Ballari, Raichur, and Koppal.

“The Congress government in Karnataka promised change, but is now following the same anti-poor land strategies as the BJP,” Venkat charged. “Wealthy individuals and corporate heads — often doubling as political leaders — are grabbing land with government support. This is not development; this is daylight robbery.”

Venkat outlined a bold set of demands, calling for immediate distribution of land titles to all poor families cultivating land. “The land should be taken from the rich and from corporations who hold vast tracts, and two acres of cultivable land must be allocated to every landless family. Without land distribution, there is no purchasing power among the poor — and without purchasing power, how can there be any meaningful economic development?”

He cited the Government of Kerala as a rare exception. “Only Kerala has shown the political will to provide land and housing to the poor. Other states must follow this model.”

The rally also saw speeches from other key leaders, including Baswaraj from AIKS, Muni Venkatayya, and Chandrappa from AIAWU. They echoed the call for unified struggle and emphasized that the fight for land rights is central to the broader battle for justice, dignity, and economic empowerment in rural India.

“The country’s productive resources must belong to the working poor — this is the central issue before us today,” Venkat declared, drawing thunderous applause from the crowd. “Unite. Organize. Struggle. That is our only path forward.”

The mobilization in Koppal marks a significant escalation in the nationwide demand for land rights, and organizers say more such actions are planned in the coming weeks.