RJD National Executive against SEZ on fertile land

New Delhi, Oct 8: UPA's main coalition partner Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) today expressed strong opposition to the fertile land being sacrificed for setting up Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

The party, at its National Executive meet, attended by its president and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad and representatives from across states, also called upon the Government to arrest the rising rate of unemployement and urgently attend to the problems of farmers.

''We are against the use of agricultural land for setting up SEZ, when large chunks of barren land were lying unutilised,'' senior party leader and Union Minister for Rural Development Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said briefing mediapersons about deliberations and decisions of the National Executives.

He said the party also cautioned against an economic growth that resulted in shrinkage of employment opportunities.

The party welcomes the economic growth the country was experiencing, but feels that it should not be jobless growth, said the economic resolution passed by the National Executive.

It also cautioned that the role of agriculture should not be underestimated in the economic growth of the country.

The resolution demanded special category status for Bihar.

The problems of the Indian agriculture and farmers dominated a fair part of the National Executive deliberations, Mr Singh said.

The National Executive also decided to put up common candidates with likeminded parties in the coming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Punjab.

For bypolls in Bhagalpur, Nalanda and Kodarma too, the party was ready for an understanding with like-minded parties, he said.

The National Executive authorised party chief Lalu Prasad to hold consultations with other parties in this connection, Mr Singh said, adding that candidates for the bypolls will be announced soon.

Mr Prasad said the party passed a political resolution expressing its commitment to fight communal forces, which, it said was a great threat to the national stability.

The party's national executive noted with satisfaction that under the UPA government, the country was witnessing ''an ebb in communal tension''.

While condemning terrorism of all kind, it called upon the government to deal with the menace with firm hands but cautioned against the ''conspiracy to identify any particular religion or community with terror acts. It demanded that the UPA should act firmly to root out such a conspiracy.

The party praised the UPA government for giving equal treatment to all states in contrast to the ''step-motherly treatment'' given to some states under the NDA government. The steps taken by the UPA government to ensure social justice were also lauded by the party while giving a part of credit to its president Lalu Prasad for influencing government policies in that direction.

The decision to ensure 27 per cent reservation for OBCs in elite institutions was hailed as ''historic'' by the RJD , and the party demanded its speedy implementation.

Mr Raghuvansh Prasad Singh said the National Executive also discussed organisational matter and decided to further strengthen its different wings, especially those taking care of the issues related to weaker sections of the society.

It has been decided to form a committee in each state comprising MPs, MLAs and a central party functionary to establish rapport with the people and chalk out strategies to meet their aspirations.

The National Executive also criticised the Nitish Kumar-led NDA Government in Bihar for not utilising central funds properly.

The economic resolution called for ensuring remunerative prices to farmers for their produce, land to the landless, availability of seeds, credit and irrigation and developing basic infrastructure like roads and power etc in villages besdies facilitating marketing of agriculture produce without middlemen.

The party laid stress on giving adequate support price to farmer and expansion of agriculture-based small industries.

Underlining that the devlopment of the country was not possible without the active participation of minorities in economic activities, the resolution called for assistance to them to create self-employment.

The rise in prices of essential commodities also figured in the meeting and the party called upon the government to take effective steps to check it.

The National Executive also passed a resolution on foreign policy, expressing its faith in non-alignment and envisaging greater role for the country in leading the developing countries.

It also welcomed formation of the democratic government in Nepal.

The resolution expressed the hope that India and Pakistan would take up the proposal of putting in place an institutional mechanism for fighting terrorism during their forthcoming talks which were suspended after Mumbai bomb blasts.

UNI