Sharad slams SEZ scheme

Jabalpur, Nov 1 (UNI) Janata Dal(United) President and former Union minister Sharad Yadav today alleged that India's Special Economic Zone scheme would wreck food security.

''Large-scale corruption is consequently taking place in real estate and the corporate land mafia is involved. The maximum fertile land is in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh and the maximum SEZs are coming up in these states,'' he told journalists here.

Alleging that central ministers also had differences of opinion on the issue, Mr Yadav added that the scheme ought to be scrapped forthwith.

''Whenever the Congress assumes the reins at the Centre, inflation rises,'' he added.

The JD(U) supremo said that his party would tie up with the Apna Dal for the Uttar Pradesh polls.

Respondng to a question on capital punishment being awarded to Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru, Mr Yadav said, ''political parties should not interfere in that matter and instead let the law take its own course.'' UNI RG-AC RR HS2134