On SEZs, Cong's Left turn gets steeper

In a move that betrays a rub-off effect from its Left allies, the Congress has decided to discuss the impact of special economic zones on farmers at a meeting of the party chief ministers at Nainital on September 23-24.

"We would like to discuss how farmers could benefit from rise in the price of land when an SEZ comes up in their area," said a senior Congress leader, echoing the Left, which has been seeking guidelines for the allotment of land for SEZs to ensure the farmers who lose their land get enough money.

Recently, a section in the Congress had followed the Left by opposing the disinvestment of Nalco. The party's stand on rise in the prices of essential commodities was no different from that of the Left.

The Left's demand for ban on forward trading in essential commodities was shortly followed by a similar demand from the Congress Working Committee and the Congress chief ministers. The Left and the Congress were one in demanding reversal of a 2002 notification repealing control orders under the Essential Commodities Act.

That the party is divided on the issue is clear from its reluctance to act against MP Kuldeep Bishnoi, who has rebelled against Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for signing an MoU for an SEZ. Bishnoi, who reacted strongly to the showcause notice by the party, gave a speech against SEZs in the Lok Sabha early this month. The Congress leadership has kept quiet since.

During a similar debate in the Rajya Sabha, Congress MP Mabel Rebello, too, came out in support of the Left and BJP MPs, who alleged that SEZs had become a real estate business.

The Congress' public stand had been in favour of SEZs but it would like to discuss their implications for farmers and revenue foregone due to tax incentives, said a party source.