The Political Economy of Resistance to Compulsory Land Acquisition in India

Recent resistance to compulsory land acquisition in India has been character-ized by a high degree of variation in the strategies and goals of resistance movements. In proposing an analytical framework for understanding this vari-able nature of resistance to compulsory land acquisition for public purpose projects in India, this paper argues for a more contextual understanding of how the process of land acquisition unfolds across different communities and project types. In particular, variations in four factors – the incorporation of affected communities into projects, their existing relationships to capitalist production relations, public perceptions of the legitimacy of state involvement in land acquisition, and the political influence of affected communities – are useful to understand how communities experience land acquisition and the role played by the state in this process. Differences in the political character of resistance to land acquisition across communities and project types are closely linked to variations in these interrelated factors. The goals, discourses and strategies of movements oppos-ing compulsory land acquisition for projects like large dams and mines are of-ten qualitatively different from those resisting projects like SEZs. Likewise, there are differences in the nature of resistance by indigenous Adivasi commu-nities and that of relatively more affluent and politically influential peasants.