L K Advani calls for all-party meet on SEZs

New Delhi, Jan 8: BJP stalwart L K Advani today described UPA government's Special Economic Zone(SEZ) policy as ''ill conceived'' and asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to convene an all party meet on the contentious issue.

Addressing the 79th Annual General Meeting of FICCI, Mr Advani lashed out at the Left parties for ''double-speak,'' saying that while the CPI(M)-led government in West Bengal was wooing investors, the same party at the Centre was the most vocal critic of economic reforms.

Referring to the other hotly-debated issue of FDI and Corporate Groups entry into retail, Mr Advani asked big business in this sector to create soon workable models that can demonstrate that the trading community too would stand to benefit.

Mr Advani, however, described the traders, the traditional stronghold of the BJP, as the backbone of India's commercial infrastructure.

He told the galaxy of captains of industry present on the occasion that his party has always pursued a pro-growth stance. In this regard he cited the example of the Gujarat government which has emerged as the fastest-growing State.

Mr Advani, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, exhorted the business community to strengthen its bonds with rural India by channelising investments into the rural infrastructure, modernising and professionalising back-end supply chains in retailing and imparting education in these areas.

''Your contribution for revival of agriculture and rural development is not by way of some social or charitable service. As Indians, it would pain you to see that a vast part of our country and a large section of our people are still deprived of the fruits of development.'' Mr Advani's prescription to revitalise Indian agriculture included channelising large-scale private investments into irrigation, improved marketing and extension services and better infrastructure such as roads, cold storage outlets and grain banks.

While underlining the need to modernise back-end supply operations, Mr Advani said traders should be integrated as partners in the large retail chains so that traders too can benefit from ''new technologies, new management practices and new ways of value creation'' for both the farmer and the consumer. ''I urge (big business in retail) to soon create some workable models that can demonstrate this mutually beneficial partnership.'' Talking about SEZs, Mr Advani said his party did not favour fertile agricultural land being acquired for setting up of SEZs and industrial units. ''Whenever farmers' land is purchased for this purpose, they must not only receive fair compensation and effective rehabilitation, but should also have some kind of stake in the project or a regular income stream.''

UNI