State should never be made testing ground for GE Paddy: BJP

Chennai, Nov 13 (UNI) BJP Tamil Nadu Unit President L Ganesan today said the state should not be made a testing ground for cultivating Genetically Engineered (GE) paddy.

Referring to the drive carried out by farmers and activists who uprooted GE paddy crops from a trial field at Ramanathapuram village near Alandurai in Coimbatore on Friday last, he said if any such crops were cultivated in the state, the BJP would lead an agitation and was even prepared to court arrest to stop it.

''The BJP workers will reduce GE crops to ashes, if cultivated for testing in any part of the state. I myself will lead the agitation and we are prepared to fill up the jails in the state'', he warned, while talking to reporters here.

The BJP had already raised its objections for testing genetically modified crops and the Centre was duty bound to protect the interests of the farmers, he said.

Mr Ganesan also took objection to Agriculture Secretary Surjit K Choudhary's remarks that ''by trying to block technology, you are only trying to ruin agriculture in Tamil Nadu'.

He also took a dig at the Wasteland Development Scheme of the ruling DMK in the state and said the government had went back on its promise of two acres of land to landless farmers. ''It had distributed only 10,000 acres of land to 12,000 acres. The goverment is not able to reply to a query raised by the AIADMK on the issue''.

Stating that 10,000 to 15,000 acres of land were being given to MNCs for setting up SEZs in the state, Mr Ganesan, referring to Chief Minister M Karunanidhi's remarks that farm lands would not be acquired for SEZs, sought to know whether the government would give wastelands for setting up SEZ's.

Mr Ganesan said AICC President Sonia Gandhi owed a reply to the people of the country following reports that she had met and travelled along with Italian Businessman Quattrochchi, who was cited as accused in the Bofors Gun Deal case.

Quoting reports close to former External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh, he pointed out that during her recent visit to Moscow, Ms Sonia had travelled with Quattrochchi, who also happens to be her relative, from Moscow to Switzerland.

The BJP would take this issue to the people, he said and added that providing Z Plus security to the grand children of Sonia Gandhi was a black mark on the government.

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