Moily report on SEZ not commissioned by Cong: Natarajan

New Delhi, Jan 22 (UNI) The Congress today clarified that it had not commissioned the Veerappa Moily report on Special Economic Zones (SEZs).

''No internal party report has been commissioned or received by the party,'' AICC spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan told reporters.

She made the remark in reply to questions on reports which said Mr Moily along with two other former Chief Ministers Digvijay Singh and Ashok Gehlot had met External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee, who heads the GoM on SEZs, and submitted a report.

Ms Natarajan said she was not aware of the submission of any such report to Mr Mukherjee.

However, no delegation from the Congress met party President and submitted any report, she asserted.

According to the reports, Mr Moily had maintained that land acquisitions for setting up SEZs had serious political implications.

He was also against allowing real estate activities in the name of SEZs and cornering of 60 per cent of SEZ business by the IT sector, unlike in China where the manufacturing sector had a major role in such zones.

Ms Natarajan said there was no change in the Congress stand that the interests of the farmers and the 'aam admi' should be protected at all costs.

UNI