Delhi Sarson Satyagraha meet warns: GM mustard has characteristics of male sterility, herbicide tolerance

By A Representative
Fight against genetically modified (GM) mustard is all set to reach streets following a massive dharna at Jantar Mantar in Delhi under the banner of Sarson Satyagraha, in which farmer unions, farm workers unions, trade unions, industry representatives, scientists, women's organisations, right to food campaigners and other civil society organisations joined hands.
Especially taking strong exception to the Government of India plans to approve the commercial cultivation of GM’s herbicide tolerant (HT) mustard, the participants insisted, if approved, “this HT GM crop with three bacterial genes with characteristics of triggering male sterility and herbicide tolerance.”
The protest saw the participation of 150 organizations from across India, including 29 national level organizations and alliances ranging from the Left-wing All-India Kisan Sabha All-India Agricultural Workers’ Union, All India Trade Union Congress, and the National Federation of Indian Women, to saffron-supported Bhartiya Kisan Sangh and Swadeshi Jagran Manch.
It also saw participation by the Confederation of Beekeeping Industry of India, the National Right to Food Campaign and leaders from Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, JD(U), CPI(M), CPI, and DMK.
The protest was organized followed decision of the Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC), the nodal agency for GM crops under the Ministry for Environment, stopping all public feedback process on bio-safety studies of GM mustard, suggesting that the government was in a hurry to get the HT GM mustard approved in time for the November season.
Farmer leaders from across the spectrum, including Hannan Molla and Vijoo Krishnan of the CPI-M, , Rakesh Tikait of the Bhartiya Kisan Union, Rampal Jat from Rajasthan and Badribhai from Gujarat warned that if the government doesn’t listen to farmers’ voice and stop GM mustard, they would step up the fight and take to the streets.
Insisting that GM would lead to agricultural distress and farm suicides, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, in a video message, shown at the dharna, called it a “big hoax is being played on farmers”. He reminded the Prime Minister that Bihar has always opposed GM crops – whether Bt brinjal or field trials of GM maize.
Delhi minister Kapil Mishra wondered wy the Modi government was not listening to even its allies such as Bhartiya Kisan Sangh and Swadeshi Jagran Manch, pointing out the Aam Aadmi Party-supported Jashn-e-Sarson festival of mustard.
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi from Assam said the Satyagraha is not against science, and that the farmers should be respected as practising scientists. He questioned why thousands of farmers coming to Delhi are not getting appointment with the Prime Minister but corporate CEOs get to travel along with him.
Amarjeeth Kaur of AITUC and, if GM mustard is adopted on even a low 25% of mustard cultivation area in India, this will result in an approximate employment loss of 4.25 crore person-days in rural areas. “This will have impact on major mustard growing states including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana which are BJP-ruled states”, she added.
Scientific experts like Dr Debal Deb, renowned plant breeding expert, Dr Suman Sahai, geneticist and policy expert, Dr Amar Singh Azad, public health expert, and Dr.Jyotsna, Ayurveda expert spoke at the dharna and said that the push for GM mustard “doesn’t represent progress of science but undermining of true science.”
A representation of the dharna participants met officials of the PMO, environment minister, agriculture minister, health minister, commerce minister, minister of woman and child development, and told them that if they do not listen, the mass organizations would begin all-India agitations.

Comments

The golden crop: How turmeric is transforming women's lives in tribal India

By Vikas Meshram* When the lush green fields of turmeric sway in the tribal belt of southern Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat, it is not merely a spice crop — it is the golden glow of self-reliance. In villages where even basic spices once had to be bought from the market, the very soil today is yielding a prosperity that has transformed the lives of thousands of families. At the heart of this transformation is the initiative of Vaagdhara, which has linked turmeric with livelihoods, nutrition, and village self-governance — gram swaraj.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Authoritarian destruction of the public sphere in Ecuador: Trumpism in action?

By Pilar Troya Fernández The situation in Ecuador under Daniel Noboa's government is one of authoritarianism advancing on several fronts simultaneously to consolidate neoliberalism and total submission to the US international agenda. These are not isolated measures, but rather a coordinated strategy that combines job insecurity, the dismantling of the welfare state, unrestricted access to mining, the continuation of oil exploitation without environmental considerations, the centralization of power through the financial suffocation of local governments, and the systematic criminalization of all forms of opposition and popular organization.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Rajiv Shah Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Echoes of Vietnam and Chile: The devastating cost of the I-A Axis in Iran

By Ram Puniyani The recent joint military actions by Israel and the United States against Iran have been devastating. Like all wars, this conflict is brutal to its core, leaving a trail of human suffering in its wake. The stated pretext for this aggression—the brutality of the Ayatollah Khamenei regime and its nuclear ambitions—clashes sharply with the reality of the diplomatic landscape. Iran had expressed a willingness to remain at the negotiating table, signaling a readiness to concede points emerging from dialogue.

False claim? What Venezuela is witnessing is not surrender but a tactical retreat

By Manolo De Los Santos The early morning hours of January 3, 2026, marked an inflection point in Venezuela and Latin America’s centuries-long struggle for self-determination and independence. Operation Absolute Resolve, ordered by the Trump administration, constituted the most brutal and direct military assault on a sovereign state in the region in recent memory. In a shocking operation that left hundreds dead, President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores were illegally kidnapped from Venezuelan soil and transported to the United States, where they now face fabricated charges in a New York federal detention facility. In the two months since this act of war, a torrent of speculation has emerged from so-called experts and pundits across the political spectrum. This has followed three main lines: One . The operation’s success indicated treason at the highest levels of the Bolivarian Revolution. Two . Acting President Delcy Rodríguez and the remaining leadership have abandone...

The selective memory of a violent city: Uttam Nagar and the invisible victims of Delhi

By Sunil Kumar* Hundreds of murders take place in Delhi every year, yet only a few incidents become topics of nationwide discussion. The question is: why does this happen? Today, the incident in Uttam Nagar has become the centre of national debate. A 26-year-old man, Tarun Kumar, was killed following a dispute that reportedly began after a balloon hit a small child. In several colonies of Delhi, slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram” and “Vande Mataram” are being raised while demanding the death penalty for Tarun’s killers. As a result, nearly 50,000 residents of Hastsal JJ Colony are now living in what resembles a state of confinement.

The price of silence: Why Modi won’t follow Shastri, appeal for sacrifice

By Arundhati Dhuru, Sandeep Pandey* In 1965, as India grappled with war and a crippling food crisis, Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri faced a United States that used wheat shipments under the PL-480 agreement as a lever to dictate Indian foreign policy. Shastri’s response remains legendary: he appealed to the nation to skip one meal a day. Millions of middle-class households complied, choosing temporary hunger over the sacrifice of national dignity. Today, India faces a modern equivalent in the energy sector, yet the leadership’s response stands in stark contrast to that era of self-reliance.

Love letters in a lifelong war: Babusha Kohli’s resistance in verse

By Ravi Ranjan* “War does not determine who is right—only who is left.” Bertrand Russell’s words echo hauntingly in our times, and few contemporary Hindi poets embody this truth as profoundly as Babusha Kohli. Emerging from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, Kohli has carved a unique space in literature by weaving together tenderness, protest, and philosophy across poetry, prose, and cinema. Her work is not merely artistic expression—it is resistance, refuge, and a call for peace.

Search This Blog