Tamil Nadu - Vellore   

Expedite project of linking rivers, says JD (U)

— Photo: D. Gopalakrishnan

ZONAL MEET: Sharad Yadhav (second from right), president of JD (U), at the zonal conference of the party in Vellore on Saturday. Era. Sezhiyan, former MP (third from right), is in the picture.

VELLORE: Janata Dal (United) president Sharad Yadhav has urged the Central and State Governments to implement the project of linking all rivers on a war footing to ease water scarcity prevailing in many parts of the country including Tamil Nadu.

Addressing the zonal conference of JD (U) here on Saturday, Mr. Sharad Yadhav said that the previous National Democratic Alliance Government had planned to link all rivers, as it was the only way to solve water scarcity. But he regretted that the United Progressive Alliance Government had given up the project.

Besides linking all rivers, the Centre should include water in the Central list in order to ensure its equitable distribution to all States, especially in the light of inter-State disputes such as the ones between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh and Kerala.

“It is unfortunate that we are unable to ensure availability of water to all citizens even 60 years after Independence”, he lamented.

The JD (U) leader called upon the party cadres in Tamil Nadu to organise an agitation to press for an early implementation of the project, to oppose entry of multinational corporations and big private companies into the retail sector and compulsory acquisition of agricultural land for the setting up of special economic zones.

He said that the country was able to attain self-sufficiency in the food sector, and achieve food security owing to the tremendous efforts put in by our agricultural scientists and farmers.

Sixty crore people in the country had been employed in the agriculture sector. Under these circumstances, it was unfortunate that the Manmohan Singh Government at the Centre and the Karunanidhi Government in Tamil Nadu were trying to acquire agricultural lands and give them to the corporates to set up industries. There had been a big land scandal behind the move, he alleged.

Referring to the entry of MNCs into retail sector, Mr. Yadhav said that about five crore people in the country were engaged in the retail sector, while 25 crore people were dependent on it for their livelihood.

The entry of MNCs would spell doom on those who were dependent on the sector. Therefore, farmers and traders should join together to oppose the entry of MNCs, he said.

Era Sezhiyan, former MP, said that time had come now for a third freedom struggle to establish the rights of farmers and traders, and rescue the people from the clutches of the MNCs.

K. Rajasekharan, Tamil Nadu State president of the JD (U), who presided, said that the party supported the demand of the Parliamentary Standing Committee for providing 27 per cent reservation for the Backward Classes and Most Backward Classes in the judiciary.

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