JD(S) Surendra Mohan faction to hold National Executive in the City

Bangalore, Jun 21 (UNI) The Janata Dal (Secular) headed by Surendra Mohan will take a final decision on the Presidential polls in its National Executive meeting to be held in the city on June 28 and 29.

Disclosing this to news persons, Party leader and former Karnataka Minister P G R Sindhia said that besides the Presidential elections, the Executive would also discuss the fall out of the 'faulted' SEZ policy persued by both the UPA government in the centre and the state governments and farmers suicide deaths.

The JD(S) faction led by its President Surendra Mohan broke away from H D Deve Gowda-led party after the party allied with BJP in Karnataka in February 2006. The leaders led by Kerala MP Veerendra Kumar were suspended from the party by Mr Gowda for opposing the understanding in Karnataka.

"Elected members of our faction of the JD(S) will meet here and take a final decision on the Presidential elections. Apart from that we will be raising our protest against the SEZ policy persued in the country. We oppose the concept of SEZ and the policy of the Union government and the executive will take a decision on stepping up our agitation," Mr Sindhia said.

Mr Sindhia said a basic change in the country's SEZ policy should be brought about by amending the labour laws and use of land. Labour laws should be the same for all. In Karnataka, the coalition government had no idea about the concept of the SEZ.

Referring to a statement by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy that the government would not acquire land but leave it to the promoters of the SEZ to convince farmers was again a wrong policy, he said that "it is not just the question of land, more important will be labour interests and tax collection. In the name of SEZ Karnataka government is encouraging real estate Mafia in Karnataka." Welcoming Mr Kumaraswamy's statement on creating a separate budget for agriculture, he said there is an urgent need to launch an alternative economy for agriculture which can bring down the increasing farmers' suicide cases.

He said the JD(S) workers in Karnataka were disillusioned over the party aliening with BJP, as BJP too had turned out to be like any other party. "BJP has proved that it was no different from any other party. Though such alliance was against the policy of our party, Mr Deve Gowda was forced to accept which he should not have.

Now party workers are really demoralised," he added.

UNI