Bush pressurising India to accept US agri practices: BJP

Chennai, May 4 (UNI) Senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi today said US President George W Bush's comments that global food shortage was due to the increasing demand from India's middle class for quality food, was aimed at mounting pressure on India to accept the agricultural practices propounded by the US.

Talking to newspersons here, Mr Joshi said Mr Bush was trying to put the blame on India, instead of having a look at his country's policies and the way rich countries were managing globalisation.

''Instead of agriculture, they have gone for agri-business,'' he said adding that the major objective of the Western Food Policy was to make a large number of countries to depend on them.

Mr Joshi said, ''Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has already entered into an agreement with the US on agricultural sector and its unfortunate that the Centre has not come out openly to discuss the agreement.'' The Centre had also appointed a board, with representatives from Monsanto and Wal-Mart, to implement the provisions of the agreement.

''However, both the MNCs do not have any knowledge on the Indian agricultural sector,'' he added.

UNI SNR BDP DB1846