Agence France Presse | July 31, 2003
A hardline movement close to India's ruling Hindu nationalists Thursday said the country should withdraw from the WTO if the world body's September talks do not favour developing countries.
The Swadeshi Jagaran Manch (National Awakening Forum), which has about 15 million activists under its fold, said it would stage a massive sit-in outside the Indian parliament on September 3 to pressure the government.
"Before going to the Mexico Ministerial Conference the government should initiate debate on WTO issues in parliament and discuss its strategy," said Muralidhar Rao, head of the forum.
He said the three-day meeting in Cancun of the 146-member World Trade Organization "is very crucial for the country.
"It is time for the WTO to mend itself or become acceptable to all developing countries by addressing the concerns of a large population," Rao told reporters in the southern Indian hi-tech hub of Bangalore.
"If the (Indian) government is unsuccessful in protecting the national interests in the WTO ... then it should give notice to quit the WTO," Rao said.
Rao's forum is associated with the Rashtriya Swayemsevak Sangh (National Volunteer Corps), a hardline Hindu group that is considered an ideological mentor of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee's BJP party.
Rao mentioned agriculture as a particular issue of concern. India, a leader of developing countries on multilateral trade issues, has long opposed agricultural subsidies by developed countries which it argues makes poor nations' farm produce uncompetitive.
"For India, agriculture is a way of life and there is no justification for its competition with industrialised agriculture of the developed nations," Rao said. "Therefore agriculture must be kept out of the WTO's agenda."
Rao criticised India's WTO-inspired push to reduce tariffs as "creating havoc" for small domestic industries and accused rich countries of trying to "strip India of the benefits from IT" by their visa policies.
India's booming information technology sector has been concerned by moves in some developed countries, particularly the United States, to review the number of work visas issued amid growing fears over job losses to foreigners.Agence France Presse:
