Farmers and Tribal Bulldoze Questions to Arvind Kejriwal on GM food- open economy and food security

On eve Vidarbha Tour-Farmers and Tribal Bulldoze Questions to Arvind Kejriwal on GM food- open economy and food security  

Nagpur- March 12, 2014

Farmers and tribal in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra have been irritated on  Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) over selection of parliamentary candidate for the Chandrapur seat, who they accuse of being a strong supporter of genetically modified (GM) seeds,

 “We are shocked with the selection of the AAP candidate especially when Advocate Prashant Bhushan and Yogendra Yadav are working as core group members of the Political Affairs Committee of AAP advocating that the monopolies of MNCs [multinational corporations] and free trade coupled with GM seed technology is killing the Vidarbha farmers hence we have raised 15 questions to Arvind Kejriwal so that AAP stand these core issues cleared ,” Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Jan Andolan Samiti (VJAS) told today.

Questions are

1. What is stand of AAP on universal food security?

2. Do they support open economy and free trade in agriculture?

3. Do they support GM food and to they support the ban on toxic food and monopolies of US MNCs in seed and other agriculture inputs?

4. Do they support Tribal farmer’s land grabbing by AAP leaders in Maharashtra?

5. Do they believe in Indian constitution and Indian democracy?

6. What is stand of AAP on paid news and recent reports interview fixing?

7. What is stand of AAP on big dams and nuclear power projects?

8. What is stand of AAP on Reservation to SC/ST in all sector of society?

9. Do they believe in internal democracy in AAP?

10. What is policy of AAP on PPP development model and ‘Toll free India’?

11. How land mafia, builders, liquor don and criminals are AAP parliament candidates?

12. Why are AAP leaders are retaining Govt. houses when they have resigned?  

13. How do you justify Rs.10,000 per person entry pass for your Nagpur dinner  to discuss Aam Adami issues ?

14. Why all party candidates are ‘Khas’ when party was formed to represent the ‘Aam’?

15. how do you justify AAP’s policy of accusing all other parties without going logical conclusion sometime you do not take any responsibility of answers peoples questions which has discredited a lot ,please explain?

‘We have requested Arvind Kejriwal to come clean on this confusion as earlier too  ,we remained AAP leader Adv.Prashant bhusan  that as he been lobbying to ban Bt cotton seeds and toxic GM food in India as well as advocating universal food security for all tribals and dryland farmers and know they are promoting candiates as APP .

According to him, the AAP, on the one hand, is giving a ticket to a candidate who is a close associate of Sharad Joshi — a farm leader and supporter of GM Bt cotton seeds who is anti-Food Security Act — while simultaneously giving a ticket to Medha Patkar, a well-known social activist.

“Obviously, there is a communication gap among AAP leaders, which is unfortunate.”

Last year, Tiwari said, Chatap had openly criticised the Food Security Act of the UPA government, describing it as anti-farmer, would fuel inflation and destroy dignity of labour.

However Tiwari said that with the monopoly, particularly of Monsanto, in the sale of GM Bt cotton seeds in Vidarbha, cultivating cotton as a cash crop was becoming too expensive for small farmers.

“Today, we only have to depend on GM Bt cotton seeds since indigenous seeds are unavailable. In a situation where cotton cultivation is unsustainable, food security for farmers is of utmost importance. Therefore, our worry is what if such candidates come to power and ignore the needs of small farmers — constituting around 3 million cotton farmers and 5 million food starved tribals of Vidarbha region,” he asks anxiously.

Recently, the AAP said, “It is to be remembered that seed sovereignty is akin to national sovereignty in an agrarian country like ours and it is unacceptable that the UPA government plans to sell our swaraj/sovereignty lock stock and barrel to biotech seed companies.”

It condemned the action of Environment Minister Veerappa Moily to “approve these field trials and make this country a laboratory for risky GM crops and demand that all field trials be stopped and an inquiry initiated on the undue hurry of the minister’s action.”