JD(U) national general secretary Arun Kumar Srivastava on Tuesday said that his party had launched a campaign against the Special Economic Zones (SEZs) coming up in the country. Srivastava was addressing reporters prior to the meeting of the city and district rural units of the party in the city.
     The party would also vehemently fight against the foray of companies like Reliance into the retail vegetable and fruits sector.
“The mushrooming of SEZs will threaten the food security of the country,” he said, adding that no other country except China had been encouraging the trend. The JD(U) was also against the sale of vegetables and fruits at retail outlets like the one being set up by Walmart, since this would push crores of retail vegetable and fruit vendors to the streets. On India’s nuclear deal with the US, he said that it was for the first time that there was no consensus on foreign policy in the country, and the whole Opposition was united in opposing the deal. The very deal would prove detrimental to the sovereignty of the country, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, State JD(U) president B Somashekhar, charged that farmers’ lands were being acquired due to the SEZ policy of the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre, and the same was being implemented in toto by the BJP-JD(S) government in the State.
 SEZs coming up near Ramanagaram, at Nandagudi, the Chamalapura thermal power plant and the golf courts coming up at a village in Mysore taluk were against the interests of the farming community and they were nothing more than entertainment centres.
“SEZs will create nations within a nation,” he added. 
He also opposed the APMC Act, accepted by the State, saying it will lead to multinational companies gaining control over the agriculture market much to the chagrin of small businessmen. Somashekhar also criticised the agriculture policy of the government and flayed it for not taking steps to prevent the rising number of farmer suicides.
He clarified that JD(U) was not opposed to investments per se, but SEZs. He predicted that the JD(S) will be wiped out of the political scene, and that the party may or may not transfer power to the BJP as agreed. Even if power is transferred, the government won’t last long, he added.