India Business-Politician Nexus Intimidates Poor Tribals Selling Land cheaply for Janjgir Champa Power Plant (Videocon,Kanwar) Twist Laws

Indian Businessmen and Politicians have been looting the citizens and  the treasury of billions of dollars through numerous corruption scams and scandals.While the focus has been on the big corruption scandals at the centre being perpetrated by ruling party politicians,opposition party has not been far behind.The Nira Radia Tapes revealed the extent to which the Indian politicians have sold the state to big business.Major ministers are appointed by the major industrial conglomerates leading to billions of dollars in embezzlement.There are numerous instances like the Commonwealth Games Scam,Adarsh Scam,the 2G Telecom Scam etc.Many of the politicians are now big businessmen themselves owning companies legally and illegally.According to Nira Radi,India’s agricultural minister is the benami owner of one of the largest realty companies DB Realty whose CEO is cooling his heels in jail for the 2G Scam.The concerned minister is also involved in the Lavasa City Scam in which a whole city was built in partnership with HCC flouting all environmental norms and regulations.

Videocon conspires with Home Minister Son to Cheat Land from Poor Tribals

Now Videocon Industries one of India’s top domestic companies involved in electronics,oil/gas,realty and power has been found to be illegally acquiring tribal land in violation of laws.The company used the Home Minister of Chattisgarh’s  son Sandeep Kanwar to twist the Indian laws to intimidate poor tribals into selling their land for its upcoming power plant.According to the Indian legal system tribal land cannot be acquired by non-tribals,so Videocon used Kanwar who is a tribal to acquire the land in his name but they paid the money.This “Benami” transaction has already made the Janjgir Champa collector see red and he has returned the land to the tribals.The Home Minister who belongs to the main opposition party BJP is trying to brazen out saying that his son is an employee of Videocon and has done nothing wrong.Note Land Acquisition has become a political hot potato with huge protests being seen against big bang projects.Power Plants too have become a problem area with large corporates routinely buying the police and local officials to suppress protests by local citizens.There have been a number of cases where people hae died in firing by the police.

Chhattisgarh govt cancels ‘benami’ land purchases for Videocon

Kanwar bought the land at less than one third the rate set by the government for land acquisition for industrial projects. Since the land was sold to Kanwar, and not the company, the tribal farmers lost both a fair price and the right to rehabilitation. The farmers told TOI they had been intimidated and coerced into selling the land, since Kanwar was “mantri ka beta”, and had been visiting the villages in a “lal batti gaadi” marked with BJP’s symbol.The collector also stated that the tribal farmers had testified that they had been cheated by Videocon and that they are yet to recieve the full payment promised to them.

Noting that the purchase of land was done through a “benaami” route, and it violated the provisions of law, the district collector cancelled the transfer and asked the revenue department to ensure that 13.65 acres of land is restored to five farmers, Gulab, Sonuaram, Radhabai, Sukalu and Hiran.Local farmers allege the case of the home minister’s son acting as a ‘front’ for a private company, blurring the lines between government and corporate purchase of farmland, is part of a larger picture of murky land deals taking place all over the district.