NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Wednesday criticised the United Progressive Alliance Government for handing over cultivable land for the development of special economic zones (SEZs), thereby ignoring the interests of farmers. The continuation of such a policy to benefit multinationals and industrial houses would spell doom for the country's agriculture, it warned.

Participating in the resumed discussion on the Union budget for 2007-08 in the Lok Sabha, K.S. Sangwan (BJP) said acquiring cultivable land for setting up SEZs would lead to a drastic fall in farm production. Besides, with compensation for the land acquired being inadequate, lakhs of small and marginal farmers would be left with no source of livelihood.

The Government only provided "lip service" as the budget overlooked the basic needs of farmers such as supply of water, power and fertilizers while failing to provide remunerative prices for their produce. The common man's interests had also been ignored and, therefore, the divide between the country's rich and the poor would only get wider at a more rapid pace.

While Mr. Sangwan sought to know why the Government chose to shelve the project for inter-linking of rivers, another BJP member Lakshman Singh pointed out that owing to inadequate funds from the Centre, many State projects remained incomplete with huge cost overruns to boot.

CPI member Gurudas Dasgupta, while declaring that his party was extending "negative support" to the budget, said the proposals showed no sign of any consensus between the Left parties and the UPA. "This is not a poor man's budget...a billionaire syndrome seems to haunt the budget."

Seeking the Government's admission that it had "failed" to address the problem of unemployment, joblessness, he said: "I question the efficacy of the Government's economic philosophy... This budget will produce more billionaires."

Jaswant Singh Bishnoi (BJP) said the budget failed to pay proper attention to agriculture and poor sections of society. The sharp rise in prices was owing to the futures trading in commodities which benefited speculators at the expense of farmers and consumers.

K. Yerrannaidu (TDP) said although at the helm of the country's affairs were three noted economists — Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia — the budget failed to reflect the necessary policies to help the common man. In particular, while the Government's tax revenues were on the rise along with a spurt in foreign investments, the benefits were not trickling down to the poor. M.P. Veerendra Kumar (JD-S) pointed to the sharp supply constraint in agriculture and said that about 40 per cent of inflation was owing to the hike in prices of farm products.

V. Radhika Selvi (DMK) asked for an increase in the income-tax exemption limit for women to Rs. 1.95 lakh, as is applicable to senior citizens.

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