FDI in retail will "enslave" India, says Anna Hazare

RALEGAN SIDDHI: Opposing FDI in the retail sector, activist Anna Hazare today said the move would lead to enslavement of the countrymen and will not benefit the farmers as claimed by the government.

"If people are saying it (FDI) should not happen, why are you insisting? The British came to India to trade and for 150 years, ruled us, enslaved us. Do you want to have a repeat?" he told a press conference here this evening.

"They (the foreign investors) will spoil the water and the environment. The government should consider this," he said.

On the claim that farmers will be benefited by FDI in retail, Hazare said, "If it were so, in the 65 years after independence, farmers would not have committed suicides."

He said he favoured unanimity among political parties on the issue. "All parties should rise above narrow considerations. There should be no inter-party differences," he said.

Emphasising that FDI in retail sector was not goood for people, Hazare said the opposition to decision should be heard. "Parliament did not run for seven days. I don't think it will function on the issue," he said.

Asked whether he felt that the government deliberately brought the FDI issue to scuttle Lokpal issue, he answered in the negative and said there should be a debate and people should know the pros and cons of the issue.

On the repeated disruptions caused in Parliament, he said, "we have accepted democracy and elected our representatives. If they have some problem in understanding, whom should we blame?"

With regard to protests against him by NCP activists, Hazare was dismissive saying it was nothing new and that he had faced such opposition for nearly 25 years.

When referred to the comments of Swami Agnivesh, who was once his close associate, that he will not join Hazare's agitation, he said he has not invited anybody. "Whoever wants to save the country is free join the movement," he said.

Hazare said the draft report by Parliamentary Standing Committee as a "betrayal" of countrymen. He also said he will tour the five poll-bound states and tell electorate how the government was betraying them on the Lokpal Bill.

"The government has assured us that there will be a strong Lokpal bill. We were given an assurance by the Parliament. Now the Standing Committee report is out. When I saw the report, I realised that they have again betrayed the countrymen again. Government has committed deceit," he said.