Statesman: Congress had been pressing for establishment of an IIT in Orissa!!

No project against people’s wishes’

Statesman News Service

BHUBANESWAR, May 13: Posco steel plant cannot be set up against the wishes and interest of farmers, it can be done only through negotiations between the company and the peasants. The Congress will stand by the farmers if they refuse to part with their land, said AICC general secretary in charge of Orissa Mr V Narayanswami while responding to questions on the Posco-India steel plant project.

The state Congress has been objecting to certain provisions of the MoU with Posco, but the Centre has been backing the project to the hilt and virtually monitoring its progress since it involves the biggest FDI attracted by the country till date.

Asked about the conflicting stands, the AICC general secretary said the policy was to stay clear and ask the company to negotiate with locals in order to acquire, if the farmers refuse and say it is against their interest, their position stands and we will support them, he said.

Mr Narayanswami was, however, more assertive in saying that his party had been pressing for establishment of an IIT in Orissa. Even recently, we met the Prime Minister and urged upon him to set up an IIT in the state , but unlike the BJD-BJP, the party will not take recourse to agitation, he added. The AICC general secretary pointed out that the Prime Minister had already sanctioned a world class science institute for Orissa which will be under the Atomic Energy Department.