Letter to PM: Study opposition to GM crops and N-plants

Dear Mr Prime Minister

There has been wide coverage of your interview with the journal ‘Science’, on February 24, 2012 concerning the opposition to nuclear power plants and GM crops in India. You choose to resurrect the old bogeyman of a ‘foreign-hand’, this time pointing to external  funding of NGOs to oppose Indian development, as if they are some sort of a 5th columnist operating to undermine the nation’s interest. This we feel, is a highly inappropriate misrepresentation of facts. The misdemeanours of these NGOs, if any, may well be only minor infringements of the letter of a restrictive law that enables government to harass them as is now being undertaken. In reality, what we are all fighting against is indeed a foreign-hand operating at the behest of and  from within your government, supported by Indian and foreign commercial entities, to corporatise Indian agriculture & farming practices and the energy sector, without in-depth and impartial analyses which prioritise the country’s security and safety. If this is their sin, it is ours too. Your remarks, in essence, indict every signatory to this letter. Our individual and collective “unthinking state”, an unlikely charge as that is, does not unduly perturb us ; on the other hand, your charge that all those who voice dissent of your government’s policy on GM crops and nuclear power do not belong to the “thinking segment” of society is an indictment of a large section of our citizenry. It betrays an inappropriate distinction between “thinkers” and “non-thinkers” solely on the basis of agreement or disagreement with government policy. Surely, this cannot be.

Informed dissent and a healthy response to it by our government through trusted dialogue are vital for a functioning democracy. We are not China. The absurdity of this position is therefore, self-evident and it absolutely requires us to make a measured and robust response through addressing the key issues surrounding GM crops and the nuclear power sector.

The prominently visible foreign hand of the US, in these two greatly important issues with ramifications for our country far into the future (and with regard to GM crops, irreversibly so), is squarely created and abetted by the UPA government. One indication of such collusion is the line-up of support your government has sought or received thus far, from ABLE (the Association of Biotechnology Led Enterprises), the Indo-US Knowledge Initiative on Agriculture, the Indo-US CEOs Forum, the Indo-US Business Council, etc., all of which expose the distinct foreign influence deliberately brought into these critical policy areas. Along with your investigations of the so-called anti-national misdeeds of the NGOs, why is your government not probing the influence peddled by  these agencies and entities who are primarily furthering the interests of foreign governments and private multinational corporations? Or, is  it that only those who support your policies are helping the nation, while those raising legitimate and scientifically-based dissent are all branded as traitors working against  the national interest?

Furthermore, several important communications on key issues have been submitted to you in writing over the last two to three years, without even the courtesy of an acknowledgement from the PMO.  We must assume from your remarks to the ‘Science’ journal that the evidence, which has hitherto been offered on the significant gaps in safety and liability surrounding both these technologies, by well informed and deeply concerned individuals and groups in the nation’s interest, has not been seen by you, or else you would surely have taken cognisance of it.

We urge the UPA government to initiate a truly inclusive process of deliberations with all stake-holders in civil society to help formulate a rational public policy with regard to both the nuclear power sector and GM crops.
With Regards,
Sincerely Yours,

1.    Justice VR Krishna Iyer, former Judge, Supreme Court of India
2.    Dr A Gopalakrishnan, former chairman , Atomic Energy Regulatory  Board
3.    EAS Sarma, former Union power secretary
4.    Admiral Vishnu Bhagwat, former Chief of Naval Staff
5.    Dr Pushpa  Mitra  Bhargava, former  vice-chairman, National  Knowledge  Commission
6.    Praful Bidwai, writer, columnist and researcher
7.    JM Lyngdoh, former  chief  election  commissioner
8.    Medha  Patkar, Convenor,  National  Alliance  of  People’s  Movements
9.    Admiral L Ramdas, former Chief of Naval Staff and Magsaysay awardee
10.    Lalita Ramdas, former board chair Greenpeace International, Bhaimala
11.    Dr Vandana Shiva, director, Research Foundation for Science , Technology and Ecology
12.    Admiral  RH Tahiliani (retd.), former  Chief  of  Naval  Staff & former chairman Transparency International
13.    Prof Romila Thapar,  professor  emeritus, Jawaharlal  Nehru  University
14.    Aruna Roy, Social activist, MKSS
15.      DrVS Vijayan, chairman, Sálim Ali Foundation; former chairman, Kerala State Biodiversity Board
16.    Aruna Rodrigues, lead petitioner GMO PIL in the Supreme Court
17.    Prashant Bhushan, advocate, Supreme Court