VS asks PM to make FTA details public
4 August 2009
VS asks PM to make FTA details public
Concerned over the possible adverse impact the India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (FTA) would have on Kerala’s economy, Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan on Monday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and demanded that details of the pact be made public and the state be consulted before India enters into the agreement.
According to Achuthanandan, the Prime Minister assured him that the ministerial sub-committee that the Central Government has decided to set up to look into various aspects of the agreement would have a Union minister from Kerala and the panel would consult the state government before taking a final call on signing the pact.
He told the PM that it’s a matter of “constitutional propriety” that the Centre consult states in matters where the interests of the latter are at stake. “Sheer healthy democratic practice demands that the Centre must make public the terms of the agreement before it is signed, so that its terms can be publicly debated and rectified if necessary,” he said.
Interestingly, while the CM argued that the FTA would adversely affect Kerala’s economy, he admitted the state government was “totally unaware” of the terms of the agreement. He said Kerala’s objections were based on apprehensions and the state government would soon conduct a study to assess the impact the pact would have on the state’s agrarian economy.
The India-ASEAN FTA issue is fast becoming a topic of political one-upmanship in Kerala with the Congress and the Left trying to score points over each other. The CM’s meeting with the PM came days after a Congress delegation, led by Leader of Opposition Oommen Chandy, called on the PM to raise the same issue. After the meeting, Chandy had said that he got an assurance from Singh that Kerala’s interests would be protected.
On Monday, Achuthanandan rubbished his claim and said Chandy and other Congress leaders have no other option but to toe the Centre’s line blindly. He claimed that the PM has assured him that the full text of the agreement would be given to Kerala.
