Endosulfan: LDF calls hartal on Apr 29, Iyer attacks PM

Thiruvananthapuram/New Delhi, Apr 26 (PTI) Taking its
campaign for a countrywide ban on endosulfan a step further,
the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the south Indian
state of Kerala on Tuesday called for a statewide hartal on
Friday, as noted Jurist V R Krishna Iyer criticised Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh for his "unfeeling indifference" on
the issue.
The state committee of LDF announced the plan for hartal
on April 29 to coincide with the concluding day of the
International Convention on Persistent Organic pollutants
being held in Geneva but Congress dubbed it as a "politically
motivated move."
"The hartal is in protest against the reluctance of the
UPA Government at the Centre to ban the pesticide, which has
caused large number of deaths besides leading to serious
environmental and health hazards in Kerala", LDF convener
Vaikom Viswan told reporters in Thiruvananthapuram.
Left MPs (Member of Parliament) staged protests in
Parliament House in New Delhi to press for the ban on the
"killer pesticide" while Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan led
a day-long fast on Monday.
A petition was also moved in the Supreme Court on
Tuesday by Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), a
youth wing of Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M),
seeking a direction for a ban on sale and production of
Endosulfan in its present form or any other derivatives in the
market across the country.
Throwing his weight behind the strident demand in Kerala
for a Endosulfan ban, Iyer, a former Supreme Court
judge, said, "I disapprove of the Prime Minister's unfeeling
indifference to the request of all the Kerala Ministers
jointly requesting the ban of the dangerous and deleterious
Endosulfan most harmful to human life."
"The Prime Minister's attitude is violative of the right
to life of the Indian people and to continue the manufacture
and distribution of Endosulfan is unfortunate and violative of
Article 21," he said in a statement in Kochi.
It is "shameful and shocking" that India should be the
largest consumer of Endosulfan while more than 63 countries,
including the European Union, Australia and New Zealand have
banned it, he said and appealed to the Prime Minister to stop
immediately the manufacture and sale of Endosulfan.
Reacting to the hartal call, KPCC president Ramesh
Chennithala said the protest was meant to derive political
mileage by whipping up anti-Centre sentiments.
Achuthanandan should also explain as to why endosulfan
was not banned in the Left-ruled West Bengal and Tripura and
why these states were not demanding action on this, he said.
Six Left MPs from Kerala while demanding a reversal of
"pro-endosulfan" stand shot off a letter to the Prime Minister
asking him to instruct India's representatives at Stockholm
Convention to speak against the "killer pesticide" and press
for a total global ban.
Addressing the protesting Left MPs, CPI(M) Polit Bureau
member Sitaram Yechury said 84 countries have banned the
pesticide and they are "not fools" do so.
"We demand a nationwide ban on the pesticide. Why have
84 countries ban it? Why is the government hesitant? That is
why we suspect that another scam is waiting to happen.