NEW DELHI: The Janata Dal (United) on Monday announced a countrywide agitation on October 12 — the death anniversary of socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia — against the United Progressive Alliance government for creating Special Economic Zones on fertile agricultural land. The party, along with the Akali Dal and Uttar Pradesh-based Apna Dal, sought immediate stay on the "anti-farmer" SEZ Act, 2005, under which this was being done, at a farmers' dharna organised here.

They later sent a memorandum to President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam seeking his intervention in the matter. "It is our firm opinion that the SEZ is a real estate scam and has nothing to do with export promotion and foreign capital inflow," the memorandum said.

It sought a serious public debate on the issue inside and outside Parliament before preparation of any policy for export promotion and Foreign Direct Investment.

Addressing the dharna here, Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadav alleged that Congress president Sonia Gandhi was not serious about her concern expressed at Nainital on Saturday that productive farm land was going under SEZ.

"Had she been really serious she would have asked the Congress Government in Haryana and elsewhere to revoke the sanction given to industrialists and corporate builders for usurping huge areas of farm land. The sanction is permission given for grabbing land and uprooting garib aadmi (poor man)."

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