Thaindian News

Kolkata, Feb 27 (IANS) Janata Dal-United (JD-U) president Sharad Yadav said Sunday his party wants the budget for 2011-12 to protect the country’s fertile agricultural land. Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee will present the budget in parliament Monday.

“Nothing has changed in the last 62 years. We want that steps and measures should be taken to protect the fertile land of the country. If SEZs (special economic zones) and hi-tech cities and factories come up on agricultural land which gives us food, then it is a matter of grave concern,” said Yadav on the sidelines of a party programme here.

“Measures should be taken to save the agricultural sector of the country, because this provides food to the whole country. Steps should be taken to save the land of the country as this is our asset,” said Yadav.

Speaking at the party programme, Yadav criticised the central government on the issues of corruption and price rise. He alleged that nothing could be compared with the ongoing “big loot” in Delhi.

“In the 2G scam, Rs.1.76 lakh crore of money was looted,” he said.

“The government is saying Rs.70,000 crore were used in CWG (2010 Commonwealth Games) but I am saying it was Rs.1 lakh crore. So much money was used for (an event that) was for few days. This money could have been used for making a freight corridor,” he said.

“The building (Adarsh Housing Society in Mumbai) made for the martyrs of Kargil war was swallowed by dishonest persons,” said Yadav.

When he was asked whether JD-U will forge an alliance with the Trinamool Congress for the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections, Yadav said: “Nothing has been decided. The state committee of our party will send its report on what is needed to be done and then we will decide.”

Yadav praised Mamata Banerjee’s railway budget, presented Friday, for not increasing the fares but said a long list of pending projects of the last two rail budgets did not speak well about the health of the railways.