JD(U) criticises Reliance SEZ on fertile land

New Delhi, June 8: Strongly criticising the UPA government for giving clearance to reliance's SEZ in Gurgaon, Janata Dal (United) President Sharad Yadav today said that a nationwide campaign involving all concerned parties against this ''self annihiliating policy'' on SEZs and opening retail market to the corporate sector would be launched soon.

Mr Yadav called upon the government to desist from adopting the SEZ policy, which was ''devastating'' the nation and said that he would invite all concerned people, NGOs and parties to come under one umbrella to block the ''sinister design to harm the interests of our people by some vested interests sitting in the government.'' He said that the movement would be above party lines and would involve people from all sections of the society.

Asked whether he would invite Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, who has opposed SEZs and whose government has rejected the SEZ proposal of Anil Ambani in Noida, also in this campaign, Mr Yadav said he would wait for her to rpove ''commitment'' against the SEZs policy.'' He said that despite the government constituting a Group of Ministers on SEZs and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi writing to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue, the board of approval is going on approving SEZ projects and promises and claims of the government were being defied.

''The way the government is going towards a SEZ-ed growth will not only ruin the nation but invite social unrest on a scale never seen in Independent India. It would also compromise the food security and internal security,'' he alleged.

''Though the government had decided that there would be no SEZ on fertile agricultural land, the approved SEZ of Reliance in Gurgaon is entirely on the fertile land. Though the Centre has been saying that the state governments have been asked not to help SEZ promoters, the Haryana government acquired land from farmers at very low price on different pretexts and now transferred it to Reliance for SEZ creation, he claimed and sought to know the reasons for it.

Mr Yadav said that the nationwide protest against SEZ by farmers, women and workers has caused many deaths but the government has not been responsive to their protests at all. So the movement would now be consolidated, he stressed.

UNI