Sonia moots rehab panel

Posted by Sinlung
SUMAN K. SHRIVASTAVA & JAYESH THAKER
Sonia Gandhi at an election rally in Ghatshila on Tuesday. Picture by Bhola Prasad
Sisai/Ghatshila, Dec. 8: Sonia Gandhi touched upon on all aam admi concerns in Jharkhand today and raised the hope on one of the primary issues facing the tribal state, promising to set up a National Rehabilitation Commission to ensure adequate compensation for people willing to part with land for development projects.
Addressing two mammoth election rallies in Ghatshila and Gumla today, the Congress president took off from where her son and party general secretary Rahul Gandhi left during his visit to Bermo and Latehar last week when he played on stability and the need for synergy between the Centre and state governments for the sake of development.
“The rehabilitation commission would ensure that villagers who are willing to part with their land for development were compensated adequately and rehabilitated properly,” the Congress chief explained, touching a chord with the over 20,000 tribals who had gathered at a rally in Sisai in Gumla to garner support for party nominee Geeta Shree Oraon, daughter of veteran leader, late Kartik Oraon.
“We want development but not at the cost of displacement of tribals,” she said, having echoed similar sentiments hours earlier at Ghatshila. At a rally in support of state Congress president Pradeep Balmuchu, Sonia recalled the party’s strong bond with adivasis and how Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi worked for their betterment post-Independence.
Sonia's statement, that seeks to institutionalise relief and resettlement of the displaced is a fresh idea from the party’s backroom that could have far-reaching implications in tribal areas of central and eastern India. Congress sources said more such ideas relating to land acquisition are incubating in Rahul Gandhi’s mind as the UPA's initial commitment of restoring tribals’ rights over forests is not resolving problems.
In her second leg of campaigning in Jharkhand, Sonia also referred to Naxalites but stuck to a tough line even as she reiterated what Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has always maintained about holding talks with rebels only if they abjured violence.
Development work, as Singh has said, and the law and order machinery would exist simultaneously. “But it is our responsibility to face the violence being perpetrated by anti-democratic forces,” she said.
She refrained from mentioning former chief minister Madhu Koda by name but indicated the party’s regret at having supported a regime of Independents for close to two years.
Listing the various people-friendly initiatives taken during President’s rule in the state, Sonia said: “We promise to provide a stable and corruption-free dispensation in Jharkhand.”
She didn’t spare the Opposition BJP too. “Hamare virodhi jaat aur dharam ke nam par rajnitik rotiya saek rahen hain. Yeh log yeh kaam Jharkhand ke saath saath dusre rajyo mein bhi kar rahen hain (The Opposition is trying to score political points in the name of caste and religion. Besides Jharkhand, they are doing this in other states too),” she said.