The BJP on Wednesday took exception to UPA’s decision to engage itself in the final phase of negotiations for “highly controversial” free trade agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU) without taking into account the Opposition by experts and stakeholders.
The Opposition party also demanded a comprehensive debate in Parliament on all FTAs entered, especially with the EU. “The Government should not go ahead on the Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement with EU without a political consensus. A conference of all stakeholders be immediately convened. The negotiating text and impact assessment of FTAs, particularly with EU, be immediately released,” senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi said. The party has decided to raise this issue in Parliament when it meets after the recess on April 22.
The party also demanded that FTA with EU should not be allowed to endanger the Indian retail in general and agriculture and dairy farming in particular. “All treaties which impinge upon the sovereignty of the country and fundamental rights of the people including food security and health, and the federal structure of the country should be ratified after the scrutiny of Parliament,” Joshi said.
Against the backdrop of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Germany, Joshi also cautioned that signing an FTA with the EU will lead to the latter flooding the Indian market with dairy, poultry, sugar, wheat, confectionary, oilseeds, plantation products and fisheries.
“This will directly compromise India’s agricultural sovereignty and its food security,” Joshi said, adding there is no provision for discussing subsidies and other incentives given by the EU to its farmers which put them in an advantageous position vis-a-vis India.
BJP sought to know why the Government is set to move ahead on this when the matter is with Parliament’s Standing Committee on Commerce where apprehensions of signing an FTA with the EU have been voiced strongly.
“Irrespective of ideological considerations, the conditions which, according to reports, the UPA Government is willing to concede to EU will seriously jeopardise the interests of the Indian people with no obvious gains in trade or economic expansion,” Joshi said.
Gains will only be made by India through such an agreement in the field of textiles, garments and leather but EU’s gain in industry and manufactures alone is almost double of this,
he added.