In the wake of the SEZ Act 2005 and various SEZ Acts passed by state governments, corporate grab of thousands of acres of land has become the norm all over the country. At the same time, Kalinganagar, POSCO and Nandigram have shown the way – and every act of land grab is met with determined peasant resistance. In this backdrop, the All India Kisan Sangharsh Samiti (AIKSS) observed October 3 as a day of nation-wide protest, with the slogan of ‘Zamin Bachao, Desh Bachao’ (Save Land, Save the Nation) against the stranglehold of imperialist policies and MNCs on the Indian rural scene and also demanding scrapping of the Indo-US Nuke Deal.

In Jind (Haryana), a peasants’ march was organised under the leadership of Comrade Prem Singh Gehlawat, member of the AIKSS national committee. In 5 tehsils of Jhunjhunu and Udaipur districts of Rajasthan, Kisan dharnas were organized in which thousands of peasants participated. The campaign was led by Comrade Ramchandra Kulahari, member of the AIKSS national committee. In Mansa, (Punjab), a mass meeting of the peasants was addressed by Comrade Ruldu Singh, leader of the Punjab Kisan Union and others. In Raipur (Chhattisgarh), a dharna and mass meeting was organized. In Muradabad and Ghazipur (UP) dharnas and meetings were organized which were addressed by Comrade Ishwari Prasad Kushwaha and other leaders of the Kisan Sabha. A poster campaign was also held at Dindigul (Tamilnadu). Around 300 peasants staged a dharna at the collectorate in Bhagalpur (Bihar) and submitted a memorandum to the DC. In Jehanabad, a seminar was organized on ‘Save land, Save the nation’ in which many intellectuals participated. It was addressed by Comrades Raja Ram Singh, national convener, AIKSS, Kamlesh Sharma, General Secretary RYA, Dr. Ramadhar Singh and others. Peasants organized a protest march and meeting in Buxar. In Masauri, a protest march was held. In Maner also a procession marched through the town and converged at Bhagat Singh Chowk where a mass meeting was organized. 