Convene all-party meet on SEZs: Yadav

Special Correspondent

Policy threatens food security and livelihood of farmers, he says

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Questions Manmohan's "silence" on the issue
Charges Sonia with "doublespeak"
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NEW DELHI: Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav on Monday demanded
an all-party meeting on special economic zones (SEZs) and said the
policy, which threatened food security and livelihood of farmers, should
be scrapped.

Mr. Yadav, who wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the subject,
said he had already discussed the issue with Bharatiya Janata Party
president Rajnath Singh and Communist Party of India (Marxist) general
secretary Prakash Karat. "The all-party meeting would clarify the stand
of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the National Democratic
Alliance on selling fertile agriculture land for real estate in the name
of SEZs."

Demonstrations

His party, along with the Uttar Pradesh-based Apna Dal, would hold
protest demonstrations at district headquarters on October 12 followed
by rallies in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi on October 15 and
16.

Charging UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi with "doublespeak," Mr. Yadav said
that after she voiced her "concern" at the recent Congress Chief
Ministers' meeting in Nainital, the number of SEZs sanctioned went up
from 150 to 182. The Congress-ruled States had taken the lead in
sanctioning SEZs, he said.

"Many voices"

Mr. Yadav said while Dr. Singh was "silent" on the issue, the UPA
Ministers were speaking in many voices. "Agriculture Minister Sharad
Pawar says farmers should be given market price for their land. Rural
Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad says they [farmers] should be
given double the land they lose. Commerce Minister Kamal Nath says there
would be no SEZs on fertile land and then goes ahead and sanctions 32
more saying there is no going back on the policy."

"Land grab scams"

In his letter, Mr. Yadav said SEZs were nothing but "land grab scams"
wherein certain State Governments were misusing the Land Acquisition Act.

"The policy has endangered the food security. The whole of Haryana is up
for sale. Punjab is not lagging behind. Uttar Pradesh has also applied
for many SEZs. There is mass disturbance in Maharashtra on the issue. No
amount of compensation to farmers is going to prevent the food disaster
if the SEZ revolution is not checked. We are creating two Indias under
which two sets of laws and policies will apply."

http://www.hindu.com/2006/10/04/stories/2006100405781200.htm