A fervent public debate was triggered in Kerala, South India, in July 1997, following a Luddite-type agitation by the agricultural labourers destroying the crops and assets in converted rice fields. The state is against conversion of rice lands, but farmers do it illegally, using the argument of their individual right to opt for the crop of their choice. The agricultural labourers on the other hand, with their strong labour institutions and a left wing government that was sympathetic to their demands, argued for continuance of this activity since rice cultivation is labour intensive. The trade unions argue for the highly labour absorbing activity of rice cultivation and proclaim the labourers’ ‘right to work’ and also raise the environmental and food security arguments for the conservation of rice lands. This article examines the political dimensions of this complex developmental issue.
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