All-India Sarvaseva Sangh holds dharna demanding Bhoodan lands

Hyderabad: The All-India Sarvaseva Sangh, along with Telangana Sarvodaya Mandal, jointly staged a mass dharna at the Ranga Reddy Revenue Division Office on Monday demanding authorities to distribute the Bhoodan lands to the landless poor, immediately by setting up a Bhoodan Yagna Board.They also urged officials to take action against land encroachers.

Around 400 staged dharna, raising slogans against the government demanding lands.

Chandu Naik of Telangana Sarvodaya Mandal, former MP Syed Aziz Pasha, All-India Sarvaseva Sangh managing trustee Shaik Hussain and Telangana Sarvodaya Mandal vice-president Krishna were present.

Addressing the protestors, All India Sarvaseva Sangh general secretary Goranga Chandra Mahapatro recalled that Gandhian Acharya Vinoba Bhave had collected from landlords over 1.7 lakh acres in Telangana during the Bhoodan movement with the intention of donating the land to the landless poor. He said Vinobha Bhave had enacted the Bhoodan Act and had an aim to set up a Bhoodan Yagna Board to distribute the collected land on orders of the Sarva Seva Sangh.

Mahapatro said about 90 acres had been distributed to the poor; 20,000 acres were left undistributed in Ranga Reddy district alone due to negligence of previous governments. He alleged that builders with the involvement of politicians have encroached the lands.

Venkata Chari of the Seva Sangh who filed a petition in court, said he would also represent to the Tahsildars of all zones urging them to find out how much land was occupied and what was left.