"We will seize barren lands of mafias and landlords and start a commune," said Chitra Bahadur Shrestha, chairman of All Nepal Peasants´ Association (ANPA), the Maoist peasants´ wing, "Land is meant for farming, not for leaving fallow." [break]
The organization announced the land confiscation drive a day after Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal assumed his work. The Maoists have used the tactics of land seizure during the conflict. They have publicly announced they will not recognize the new government.
Shrestha, who is a Constituent Assembly member, said that the land seizure drive was required in the context of the President´s move to block the dismissal of army chief Rookmangud Katawal. He said the President´s move was against the aspirations of farmers and the poor.
In yet another decision announced during a function in Kathmandu on Tuesday, ANPA also announced it would restore its defunct "Volunteers´ Party" network in the rural areas to take action against what it called exploiters of farmers and laborers and those involved in corruption.
One member of each household is compulsorily required to join the network that was active during the Maoist conflict in rural areas. They plan to have 2.5 million farmers as member in four months starting Thursday.
It may be recalled that the Maoists had adopted a similar strategy when they started their armed conflict in 1996, a move that had led people who disagreed with Maoist ideology to flee their villages.
"The Volunteer´s Party is necessary now to safeguard the rights of farmers in rural areas," Shrestha said to a question by myrepublica.com.
The farmers´ wing further said that it would ban the import of eggs, chicken and powder milk from other countries, arguing that the country´s agriculture sector is capable enough to supply poultry and dairy products.
"We will monitor imports of these products in every nook and corner of the border," Shrestha said.
In the meantime, ANPA has announced a four-month protest program against the government, ranging from sit-ins in front of government offices to a Valley banda in September if the rights of farmers are not ensured.
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