RSS affiliate opposes GM products mentioned in India-US trade deal

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) affiliate that works in the field of agriculture and farming, has demanded that genetically modified (GM) products used in animal feed should not be allowed to enter Indian markets “under any name or condition”.

Seeking clarification from the Union government on the “sensitive products” that the Narendra Modi regime has claimed would be protected under the India-US trade deal, the BKS said the impact of GM crops on humans and animals in India was under investigation, and that the signs weren't very promising.

“The BKS is of firm belief that US GM products used in animal feed should not be allowed in the country under any circumstances, under any name or condition,” said the organisation's General Secretary Mohini Mohan Mishra in a statement.

“GM crops are still not allowed in the country. If one has to protect the people's health and India’s biodiversity, GM crops have to be kept out,” he demanded.

India and the US on Saturday released a joint statement on the framework of an “interim arrangement” on Saturday.

Unveiling the understanding, the White House said India would “eliminate or reduce tariffs on all US industrial goods and a wide range of US food and agricultural products, including dried distillers’ grains, red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruits, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products.”

Noting Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal’s clarification on keeping “food grains and dairy products” out of the trade deal's purview, the BKS said it would come out with a detailed reaction on the pact once there was “complete clarity” from the government on it.

The Swadeshi Jagran Manch, another Sangh affiliate, which works to promote and protect domestic goods, is also gathering more information and is expected to release a considered reaction this week.

The RSS, the BJP's ideological mentor, has consistently opposed — through its affiliates — the introduction of GM crops in India.

Last year, they strongly opposed the permission given to the Punjab Agriculture University to test GM maize.