BJP gears up to take on ideological ally’

NEW DELHI, NOV 23: The NDA Government may have survived the adjournment motion on farmers' issues brought by the Congress in Lok Sabha, bu...

NEW DELHI, NOV 23: The NDA Government may have survived the adjournment motion on farmers’ issues brought by the Congress in Lok Sabha, but its next job is meet the challenge posed by BJP’s “ideological ally” — the Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM).

The SJM has decided to stage state-level rallies to protest against the World Trade Organisation’s impact on farmers. They will also block at least four major ports in the country over the next three months to prevent entry of foreign agricultural products into India. The Manch has also demanded a white paper on sector-wise impact of globalisation on industry and farming, Delhi state SJM co-convener Ashwani Mahajan told The Indian Express.

A resolution to this effect was passed by the SJM at its three-day Rashtriya Sabha which concluded in Bhopal on Sunday, demanding that the Centre should mend its economic policies to save the small-scale industries and agriculture sector.

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The Manch is likely to sharpen its attack on the Government at its next meeting of state-level conveners scheduled on February 23 and 24, barely four days before the general budget is presented.

Significantly, its Bhopal executive was attended by BJP leader K.N. Govindacharya — who is on two years’ leave from the party to study the impact of globalisation on the country’s economy — besides RSS joint general secretary Madan Das, who is in charge of coordinating with the BJP.

SJM ideologue Dattopant Thengadi, who organised a massive demonstration in the Capital two years ago against the WTO agreement, in his speech at Bhopal took a dig at Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee’s statement made from Red Fort last year: “Kaun mai ka laal desh ko kharid sakta hai? (Who can buy India?).” Such statements can win him applause but can’t help improve the country’s economic affairs, Thengadi reportedly said. He also advised arth manrti (Finance Minister) Yashwant Sinha, not to become the anarth mantri (Destruction Minister).

One of the three SJM resolutions passed in Bhopal expressed concern at dumping of Chinese goods which was likely to affect small-scale industries in the country. “Import of all products reserved for SSI should be stopped forthwith,” it demanded.

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The SJM has also demanded a ban on foreign direct investment in SSIs, a ban on import of beef products and fixing of customs and countervailing duties after separate review of each sector.

Another resolution called upon the Government to stop amending its laws to make them WTO compliant, adding that it should rather strive to mend WTO provisions according to country’s requirements.

The Agriculture sector and whole food products for domestic consumption should be kept outside purview of the WTO and subsidies given to farmers must not be curtailed and import of agricultural products be allowed by keeping in view national interests, said another resolution passed in Bhopal.