JD(U) demands all party meet on SEZ, to launch agitation against SEZ

New Delhi, Oct 3 (UNI) Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav today charged UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and the Congress-led alliance at the Centre of ''double speak'' on the Special Economic Zone issue and announced launching a nationwide agitation on October 12 against arbitrary sanctioning of SEZs which threatens the food security and the farmers.

Addressing a press conference here, Mr Yadav urged the UPA government to call an all-party meeting on this crucial issue. Mr Yadav, who has already had a detailed discussion with BJP president Rajnath Singh and CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat, said the all party meeting would clarify views of the UPA allies and the NDA partners on the issue about the sale of fertile agricultural land to real estate agents in the name of SEZs.

The JD(U) along with Apna Dal would launch an all India agitation demanding scrapping of SEZ policy, Rallies will be held in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi and Punjab, he said.

Mr Yadav, who has written a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in this regard, informed that though Ms Gandhi advised caution while sanctioning of agriculture land for creation of SEZs at the congress Chief Ministers meeting in Nanital last month, the government sanctioned 32 more SEZs since then taking the total number, to 182. This happened despite Ms Gandhi shedding 'crocodile' tears' for farmers and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar stating that farmers would be given market value for agricultural land and Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh saying there should not be any SEZ on agriculture land.

Commerce Minister Kamal Nath said there will be no more SEZ on agriculture land and the next day he approved SEZ proposals. The approval of SEZ of Posco in Orissa is an example, he said, adding the Prime Minister remained silent all the while.

Meanwhile, Congress-ruled states including Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab have sanctioned more SEZs. In Maharashtra, the government has sanctioned 45,000 acre land, in Raigarh district, 45 villages and 75,000 farmers have been affected and the irony is that the Prime Minister is likely to inaugurate the SEZ, he said.

Terming SEZs as the biggest cause of ruin of the food security, he said since they give revenue exemption they would affect the economy of the country in future. Moreover, they would emerge as the centre for smuggling in the country, he pointed out. Despite this one-fourth of the agriculture land of the Doab region encompassing 82 per cent irrigated land in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab, it has been sold off and rest is in the process of being sold, he added.

According to Mr Yadav, the concept of SEZs have come from China.

However, he said the economy of the two countries were so different that these could not be replicated in India. He said in China 80 per cent economy is controlled by the goverment and SEZs are also being run by them which was not the case in India.

UNI AJ AK VV1655