GM mustard not ‘Swadeshi’, extremely dangerous: RSS affiliate to Union Minister

Genetically Modified (GM) mustard is dangerous and not ‘swadeshi’ at all, said Ashwani Mahajan, national convener of Swadeshi Jagran Manch, an affiliate of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh. In a letter written to Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change on Friday, Mr. Mahajan, urged the government to ensure that the crop’s seed is not allowed to be planted “now or ever”. 

Swadeshi Jagran Manch (SJM) is the second RSS affiliated body that has opposed the GM mustard since its approval was given by the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) that works under the environment ministry. Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), the farmer’s body of RSS, had opposed the same earlier.

Mr. Mahajan, in his letter to the Union Minister said that the SJM has all along been opposing the “dangerous” and “unneeded” GM mustard being brought in through the backdoor.

“It is because of our raising of the key issues of concern about this GM mustard that the then Union Environment Minister has kindly intervened and took the right decision of keeping in abeyance the regulatory clearance in its operationalisation and seeking a review. However, the regulatory body, predictably, did not take up any such review worth the name. The regulators are joining hands with GM crop developers and are time and again compromising the regulatory regime quite seriously, and they have done so with this GM mustard also,” he added. 

The SJM national convener added that the claim that GM Mustard is Swadeshi and has been developed in India is completely untrue as the same is achieved by means of the two genes ‘barnase’ and ‘barstar’, derived from a soil bacterium called Bacillus amyloliquefaciens.

“The bar-barstar-barnase gene is a patented technology of Bayer Crop Science. Bayer is not a swadeshi Company,” said Mr. Mahajan.

The SJM further said that the claim that GM mustard will increase domestic production and reduce our import dependence is also unsubstantiated and wrongly projected.

“Not only that GMO Mustard is based on Bayer’s patented Barnase-barstar-barnase gene system for which royalty shall be paid, it is said to promote usage of Glufosinate, an herbicide from which Bayer will benefit the most through its existing brands. Therefore it is evident beyond doubt that the nation would be seriously dependent upon MNC for usage of patents and import of herbicides causing greater outflow of valuable Foreign exchange from the country,” it added.

GM mustard has never been tested as a herbicide tolerant crop, while the development of this glufosinate-tolerant crop was in violation of India’s pesticides regulations.

The SJM maintained that the GM mustard will impact the occupation of bee keepers, farmers and will also have implications on Indian Systems of Medicine in which mustard is widely used.

“What is also important to note is that glufosinate is a dangerous herbicide, like glyphosate. It is irresponsible for the regulatory body to recommend environmental release, and then ask for testing to be done post-environmental release, knowing fully well that GM technology is a living technology, irreversible and uncontrollable once released into the environment,” added SJM.

The SJM said that because India has not allowed GM in food crops, non-GM tag on the agri exports helped the country in fetching orders from European nations, where GM is banned. It added that the moment GM enters Indian food crops, that non-GM tag would be lost India would lose on export front.

“We are confident that as a person who has carefully studied the adverse impacts of GM crops and also published opinion pieces on the same in the past, you (the environment minister)will intervene immediately in this matter, and ensure that no GM mustard seed is allowed to be planted, now or ever,” the SJM office bearer added.