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Magazine Issue 9 - Autumn 1999 | ||
| Campaign News Karnataka State Farmers Union –an inspiration to us all... Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) is an Indian peasant farmers' movement, created in 1980 to address the growing problems facing farmers caused by the globalisation of world trade. It was the first peoples' movement in India to mobilise massive demonstrations against GATT, and under the leadership of Professor Nanjundaswamy, a Gandhian socialist, membership of the KRRS has reached about 10 million farmers, over one sixth of Karnataka’s total population. The members are mostly small farmers (5-20 acres) and peasants, who find it difficult to compete with aggressive multinational corporations (MNCs). Liberalisation policies such as the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) Agreement on Agriculture have led to wild price fluctuations. The price of onions, for example, recently increased by a factor of ten. As onions are a staple of the Indian diet, peasants are finding it harder to feed themselves. Meanwhile export products such as peanuts have fallen sharply in price, further undermining farmers. Protests against the price cut were met with extreme police violence, killing 23 peasants in Haryana and 5 in Karnataka. A democratic, ecological, ‘Village Republic’ The KRRS focuses on social change at all levels and embraces Gandhi's vision of a 'Village Republic' based on principles of democracy, ecology, and self-reliance. It aims to challenge patriarchal structures and calls for a mandatory ratio of parliament seats to be reserved for women. It also opposes the caste system, seeing it as one of India's key social injustices. They have always opposed the introduction of 'Green Revolution technologies' by MNCs, only accepting technologies that can be directly operated and managed by the people that use them. They also take action against non-sustainable development projects such as the national programme for eucalyptus plantations, a motorway between Bang-alore and Mysore, and iron ore mining in Western Karnataka. The KRRS works to raise awareness of the WTO and its negative effects on the Indian economy, demonstrating the strong connections between local, regional, and global issues. It has been instrumental in bringing together farmers nationally, in the form of the Indian Farmers’ Union (Bharatiya Kisan Union) and in establishing networks with other sectors of society such as academics, womens’ groups, and manual labourers. It is one of the main groups constituting La Vía Campesina (an international peasant movement founded in 1993) and will be hosting its Third International Conference in October 1999. Action, Gandhian-style The movement aims to achieve its objectives by non-violent methods such as civil disobedience and direct action. In one KRRS civil disobedience protest 37,000 people were arrested in a single day. Most KRRS direct actions have been against chemical agriculture and biotechnology. Some examples: · 1993 - about 1000 activists occupied the Cargill office in Bangalore and made a large bonfire with equipment from the office; · 1993 - activists dismantled a Cargill seed unit that was being built in Karnataka; · January 1996 - KRRS members occupied a Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet in Bangalore. 102 farmers were arrested and charged with looting. Professor Nanjundaswamy was accused of attempted murder (due to pressure from the U.S. embassy), although he was not present at the protest. Since then the KRRS has taken part in the Inter-Continental Caravan (ICC), a group of 400 farmers touring 11 European countries in May and June this year, to protest against the devastating effects of globalisation on the Indian economy. During the ICC, Professor Nanjunda-swamy stated: “We wish to bring to the North the point of view from the South about the system of exploitation and genocide imposed by governments, by the international institutions such as the WTO and by multinationals.” He called the proposed social clause for the WTO system “outrageous”, since it would not protect fundamental labour rights and would allow Northern countries to practice selective protectionism. “We do not want Western money or technology or development,” he continued, “and we refuse to be used as political tools to ask the elites for reforms that we did not demand.” Relentless force for change The actions of the KRRS are inspiring and enlightening, and an example of the power poor people can have when united in the face of oppression. The alliances the KRRS has made with other organisations whilst in Europe represent an alternative kind of globalisation: that of people against corporate globalisation. The KRRS has shown that ordinary peoples' determination and will can be a relentless force for change and that large corporations are not immovable entities. The KRRS took on Cargill in Bangalore and won. Ordinary people all over the world can do the same. For more info, e-mail Professor Nanjundaswamy : swamy.krrs@aworld.net or fax: +91 80 330 3271 |