BHUBANESHWAR: The Janata Dals efforts to build a base in west Orissa is likely to receive a set back with the formation of the Kalahangi Liberation Front(KLF), which is being described as the most militant movement on the vexed issue of poverty and exploitation in Kalahandi district.
Drawing inspiration from the Western Orissa Liberation, Front (WOLF) of the Samajwadi Janata Party leader, Balgopal Mishra and the save Kalandi movement of the 80s the KLF was launched at Kalahandi on Republic Day with thousands of young volunteers, most of them unemployed taking oath to eradicate poverty in the district beating of drums and bursting of bracers, their leader, Madhu Mahanty, an unemployed engineer and former associate of SJP leader Bhakt Charan Das, l uninjured a black flag emblazoned fifth a dragon, the standard of the KLF. The militancy of the address was evident on the opening day as they proclaimed that though they did not want any confrontation with the government, they would not hesitate if the latter wanted it.
Since then the Janata Dal, which had been drubbed in the last Lok Sabha elections in west Orissa, has been watching with concern KLF demonstrations and rallies and its antigovernmental trade. The KLF, which is growing amongst many, received a shot in the arm recently with the Cuttack high count endorsing the five instances of starvation deaths in Kalahandi confirmed by the Baidyanath Mishra commission which had lambasted successive governments for failing to implement poverty alleviation measures in the district. To boost the morale of KLF cadres Raiya Sabha Man Mohan Mathur resigned from the Congress alleging the government was apathetic towards the suffering of the people of Kalahandi.
An encouraged KLF leadership has subsequently placed some impossible demands before the government for instance a grant of Rs 1 lakh toll the unemployed in the district and giving the people the right to guard the land and minerals being ferried away by outsiders. Such demands, if conceded, would further encourage land grab in Kalandi” movement was at its peak, The KLF leaders know that the peoples disillusionment with the governments complete and so they would support even the most ridiculous demands, said a senior Janata Dal leader.
The State government is yet to react to KLFs demands or undertake any development work in Kalahandi to negate the KLF. The Biju Patnaik government which came to power with the promise of ending suffering in Kalahandi is credited with the demise of one of the most important poverty-alleviations programmes the Centrally-sponsored area development approach for poverty alleviation (ADAPT) introduced in the 22 most backward blocks of Kalahandi and Koraput districts during the prime minister ship of Rajiv Gandhi. The programme had died during the V.P. Singh regime but the state governments made no subsequent efforts o revive it.
Article extracted from this publication >> March 13, 1992
