The tussle over the genetically-modified brinjal, also known as Bt brinjal, between the various lobbies in the government may turn more complicated, as a Parliament Standing Committee representing various political parties is likely to disapprove of the introduction of Bt brinjal in India in its suo motu report on the issue.
The Standing Committee on Agriculture, headed by the CPI(M)’s Basudeb Acharia, is preparing a report to give its opinion on this contentious subject. “We have already held one meeting. Three more meetings will follow before we submit our report to Parliament during the second half of the Budget session (April-May),” Acharia told Business Standard.
Insiders in the committee claim that in the first meeting, almost all members strongly opposed the move to introduce Bt brinjal in the country. Noted agriculture scientist M S Swaminathan asked for a cautious approach and demanded stringent restrictions.
Cutting across party lines, Satyavrat Chaturvedi (Congress) and Ananth Kumar of the main Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly opposed Bt products. Only Sharad Joshi of the Swatantra Bharat Paksh supported the views of the agriculture ministry.
Sources in the committee suggest, as most political parties are opposed to the introduction of Bt brinjal, the committee is not likely to give a favourable report. The Left parties, too, are against the proposed rollout.
The Standing Committee on Agriculture is discussing the issue under the head of “Cultivation of Genetically Modified Food Crops — Prospects and Effects”. It has also sought opinions from various stakeholders like the farmers’ unions, agriculture scientists, NGOs and state governments on this issue.
Minister of State (independent charge) for Environment and Forests, Jairam Ramesh, had recently imposed a “moratorium” on the commercial use of Bt brinjal until any long-term scientific studies established the safety impacts on human health.
As Union Food and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar is fiercely batting for revoking Ramesh’s ban, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held a consultation with his colleagues recently and wanted to refer the issue back to the biotech regulator, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), to address all the concerns. According to a minister present in the PM’s meeting, “the environment ministry had tried to take over the authority to take the final call away from GEAC. Now, it has been decided that GEAC will have the final say in this issue.”
