The Maharashtras Save Agriculture - Save India Campaign (Kheti Bachao - Desh Bachao Andolan) held its State Level Convention on 4th December at the Shivaji Maratha School in Pune. More than 350 representatives of political parties, farmer unions, experts, students and women attended this convention. The convention was moderated by Mr. Raju Baharkar of Rashtra Seva Dal and chaired by Mr. Bhai Vaidya. The key speakers at the convention include Mr. S.P. Shukla, Dr. Sunilam (Madhya Pradesh Kisan Sangarsh Samiti), Mr. Sharad Patil (Janta Dal Secular), Mr. B. K. Kango (Communist Party of India), Mr. Suresh Gawali (Lal Nishan Party), Mr. LB Dhanger (Communist Party of Indian-Marxist), Mr. Subhash Kakusthe (Lal Nishan Party-Leninist) and Mr. Afsar Jafri (Focus on the Global South-India). 

Mr. S.P. Shukla said that ten years of WTO is enough and we should not commit any further in the WTO. Our government mandate is comprehensive debated in the discussed in the Parliament and should be cleared by an explicit consensus.

Dr. Sunilam said that it is very unfortunate that agriculture is livelihood of more than 500 million people in India still the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, and the Minister, Mr. Sarad Pawar, who belongs to this state, are not bothered at all about the current negotiations in the WTO. They do not have any role in the on going negotiations in the WTO and at the forthcoming Ministerial in Hong Kong in December 13th to 18, 2005. Not even the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture is being consulted by Indias trade negotiators sitting in the Ministry of Commerce, Government of India or at the India Mission in Geneva. He warned that 23 years after the Bhopal Tragedy, the Andersons were not yet punished and o action were taken against the US multinational Union Carbide or the Dow Chemicals (who currently owns Unions Carbidde). What will happen when after the signing of the Doha Development Round, hundreds of MNCs will enter into India in different sectors without any regulation and government control over them.
 
Mr. Ajit Abhiyanker (Communist Party of Indian-Marxist) read out the resolution, which demands a detailed discussion in the Parliament and a white paper on the current status of the negotiations. It also demands a detailed report from the government on the impact of the 10 years of WTO on the Indian farmers, Indian agriculture and Indian industry. It says that our food sovereignty and food security should never be compromised by this government in the WTO and the objectives enshrined in the Indian Constitution should be the guiding principles of trade related international agreements. We must not commit for a Bad deal. It clearly says that we better to have a no deal at the Hong Ministerial Meeting than a bad deal, which would jeopardize national sovereignty, our peoples sovereignty.