Devil's Advocate: Kamal Nath

STRONG VOICE: Kamal Nath says Nandigram issue has nothing to do with the SEZs.

        

Other stories in the section:

Kashmiriyat: A tradition of warmth and hospitality

After protests broke out, locals ensured the safety of the yatris.

• J&K land row: No Dialogue due to militancy, politics

Featured Blog

Abhishek Patni

MAULANA MULAYAM AND PERILS OF NUCLEAR DEAL

Featured Slideshows

Kamal Nath: I think the rehabilitation policy is looking at all these things and whichever way it happens, whether it happens by a stake or by giving him a job-by whatever way-he must necessarily be a part and parcel of it. As I said, land acquisition must be all-inclusive.

Karan Thapar: At Nainital, in October, just six months ago, Sonia Gandhi when she was addressing a rally, the Congress chief said this about land acquisition-could farmers also not become stakeholders in the projects that come up on the land acquired from them?

Kamal Nath: Very rightly said.

Karan Thapar: Do you think your new resettlement and rehabilitation policy will make that happen?

Kamal Nath: It’ll not be my policy, but my Government’s policy.

Karan Thapar: But will it happen?

Kamal Nath: This is for the rehabilitation ministry and for the rural development ministry to work out, but I would fully support it.

Karan Thapar: You are pushing for it.

Kamal Nath: Of course I will fully support it.

Karan Thapar: So, you are confident that in fact this will be the end outcome?

Kamal Nath: Of course, it must happen and I think that’s the right thing to do.

Karan Thapar: Let me put one last thing to you: speaking in the Lok Sabha on March 8, the Prime Minister said and I quote, “If we have made any mistake, we will make necessary corrections.” Now many people say looking at the SEZ policy that there is one serious lacuna-you haven’t given SEZs the permission or the power for labour law flexibility. Can you correct that at this stage or is it too late?

Kamal Nath: We haven’t provided it in the SEZ Act and it should not be provide in the SEZ Act.

Karan Thapar: But you wanted to?

Kamal Nath: No we wanted to give the state governments the freedom and the state governments still have that freedom.

Karan Thapar: Under the Act you passed?

Kamal Nath: No, not under the Act I passed, but under the labour Act because some of the state governments also asked for it. So, some of the state governments had written to us asking for it.