Cong develops cold feet over SEZ protests in state

MUMBAI: A spirited opposition by farmers in Maharashtra to special economic zones (SEZs) has rattled the Congress leadership ahead of the crucial Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.

“There is a growing feeling in the party that the whole SEZ policy needs to be revisited,” a veteran Congressman told ET on Saturday, a day after the parliamentary panel on SEZs faced angry protests in Mumbai and Raigad district where the Reliance mega SEZ is slated to come up.

A parliamentary committee on SEZ, led by BJP MP and former textile minister Kashiram Rana, was in the state to meet the affected people. The committee also visited areas that would be taken over for the MahaMumbai SEZs to get the first hand information.

To add to the state’s discomfort, Mr Rana minced no words while criticising the state government over the way it conducted before the committee. Mr Rana was particularly upset over a lack of adequate publicity to the committee’s visit.

According to highly-placed sources, the committee was informed about the way the Congress government in Maharashtra has bend backwards in helping the SEZ promoters. Sources said the parliamentary panel was provided with minutes of one of the state Cabinet meeting where a senior minister was understood to have given his go-ahead despite his officers advising caution.

The documents, a copy of which is with ET, pertain to a coastal land being acquired for MahaMumbai SEZ. Some officials present had pointed out that the acquisition of a seaward land would risk violation of norms on coastal regulation zone.

The minister in question had then told officials not to link the SEZ land acquisition to the CRZ. He even went a step further and directed the concerned department to appoint retired government officers to expedite the land acquisition process.

Earlier, as reported by ET, Raigad district collector’s office was seen advising developers on how to speed up land acquisition. This fact too was placed before the committee last week. “State government officers are seen hand in glove with SEZ developers,” farmers told Mr Rana who acknowledged the presence of overwhelming opposition to these zones.

“All this would definitely have a serious political repercussions for the party. Efforts are on to brief party president Sonia Gandhi about it,” a Congress leader said. The party is particularly worried about the BJP’s efforts to paint the Congress-led government as “anti-farmer”.

The BJP has accused the UPA at the Centre and the Vilasrao Deshmukh government in Maharashtra of being over-enthusiastic in helping these special economic zones.

A section of the Congressmen now admit that moves that farmers resent would spell trouble for the party not only in the UP elections but even after the polls. “We can never forget how the NDA lost in 2002,” said another Congress leader.

girish.kuber@timesgroup.com