WTO: Left-supported organisation calls for stir

With government making efforts to complete Doha round negotiations after a year-long deadlock, a Left-supported campaign against WTO on Thursday protested the move and called for a nation-wide agitation, saying that the revival of the WTO talks would not be in national interest.

"The keenness of the commerce minister to kick-start Doha Round negotiations are not in India's interest and we have much more to lose than gain in these negotiations," Indian Peoples Campaign Against WTO, joined by Communist Party of India Marxist and Communist Party of India, charged during an agitation in New Delhi.

They alleged that this was an outcome of the 'deepening strategic relations' between India and US 'which is inimical to our national interest'.

"The two-day ministerial meeting here in the national capital from today is the first step towards the formal ministerial meeting of all country members of WTO, scheduled to be held in Geneva later in November-December this year. The compromises struck in New Delhi will be formalised in Geneva," they added.

Terming as 'cheating round' the two-day ministerial meeting in which 35 countries are participating, CPI-M Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said, "Developed countries now want to impose economic exploitation on us to come out of recession. This is not acceptable to our country".

Yechury questioned the efforts being made to revive the negotiations when it got deadlocked a year ago, mainly due to the minimum safeguards insisted upon by the then commerce minister for protecting the livelihood of farmers against unfair competition from subsidized cheap imports, which were not acceptable to the developed countries.

Demanding the government to provide agriculture safeguards, Yechury said, 'whatever subsidy is required in agriculture should be provided in our country".

Speaking on similar lines, CPI national secretary D Raja said there was a need to protect the country's agriculture and markets.

"We are opposed to any effort made by government of India to succumbed to the pressures applied by US, European Union or other developed countries," he said.

Image: Sitaram Yechury