The Asian Age/The Bangalore Age / By Our Correspondent
Bangalore, May 1 -- The Karnataka Trade Union Centre will launch a campaign against Pepsi and Coca Cola as the first step towards boycott of imported goods allowed under the WTO agreement, KTUC president G.R. Shiva Shankar said.
Mr Shankar said the union would also destroy the Pepsi and Coco Cola stocks in the city as the first step of the campaign.
The KTUC president was reacting to the demand by Prof. M.D. Nanjundaswamy for an immediate action plan against the WTO agreement. "Should we continue holding seminars or shall we have a proper campaign.
An expert has said that India should relaunch the swadeshi movement of the pre-Independence days. But seeing the prevalent consumerist culture, I do not think a swadeshi movement will be launched. Instead let us try destroying the foreign goods," he said.
Prof. Nanjundaswamy also called for a movement to prevent the next meeting of WTO in Qatar from being convened.
Expressing concern over the removal of quantitative restrictions, he said: "Lakhs of industries have closed down. In these circumstances, entry of foreign products into the country would have a devastating effect on the remaining industries."
"It is only in May next year that we will know the full extent of the impact of WTO. Let us not wait till then," he said. Prof. Nanjundaswamy also criticised former Union commerce secretary P.P. Prabhu for speaking in favour of the WTO agreement.
"An year back, after attending two meetings of the WTO, Mr Prabhu had said that the country had blindly signed the WTO. Just three days ago, the same person has made out a case in favour of the WTO," he said.
Earlier, in his key note address, Mr Shankar criticised the state for failing to safeguard the interests of child labourers. Several children below the age of 16 are being employed in hotels in the city, he said.
Criticising the entry of multinationals into the country, Mr Shankar said: "It is doubtful whether workers in multinationals have any protection or rights. We will have to unite under one platform and fight for our rights," he said.:
