Has Indian democracy gone worse than British administration? The question is obvious with Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Abani Baral’s presentation of a few documentary evidences that confirms ownership of people over the land being forcefully grabbed by the Orissa government in India for the POSCO India project.

With a project cost of $12 million, POSCO India is the largest foreign direct investment (FDI) in India planned near Paradeep Port town in Orissa state. As farm lands and betel vines make most part of the project area, there has been strong opposition from people to POSCO steel Project. Citing that the land area where betel vines have been grown belong to the State, the government of Orissa headed by Naveen Patnaik has applied force and sprayed rubber bullets and teargas cells at agitating people just to grab the land and make the project move ahead against the will of the people.

CPI Leader Abani Baral showed a few revealing documents confirming that the ownership of land with betel-vines had been given to the farmers during British days. And, the farmers were entitled to own the lands till they grow betel vines on it. Baral showed a bunch of copies of land record documents dated back to 1922 where in the settlement officer clearly declared ownership of farmers over the land till they grow betel vines on it. But the land is being forcefully acquired by the government on the claim that they are all no man’s land.

In a democracy, this is really a matter of concern when the people’s power gets overshadowed by the power of the bureaucracy. Such a situation is definitely fatal to the spirit of democracy.

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