People's Voice condemns the arrest of dozens of women and men activists of different organisations who were peacefully sitting on a dharna outside the Union Commerce Ministry on April 9, 2007.

Those arrested were part of a peaceful dharna who were carrying out a signature campaign amongst the people against the new SEZ policy of the UPA government. Among those who were actively participating in the dharna were Medha Patkar, Comrade Prakash Rao, Bijju Nayak, Rakesh Rafiq, Chittaranjan Singh, Ajit Jha, BS Rawat, Sree Prakash, Chandra Bhan and many others. Many working women and men who were passing by the dharna on the pavement along the busy street took time off to express their opposition to the anti worker, anti peasant SEZ policy of the government by signing on the big banners held up by the activists.

The activists wanted a meeting with the Union Commerce Minister to explain why the new SEZ policy was anti people. It is clear that the UPA government is in no mood to listen to the voice of the people. This is why, instead of organising a meeting of the activists with the Ministry, the police were instructed by the government to arrest the peaceful protestors.

It may be recalled that in the wake of public outrage at the massacre in Nandigram organised by the Left Front Government of West Bengal, the Union Government had declared it was putting the SEZ's on hold until a new policy was announced. It did not take more than two weeks for the Indian and foreign multinationals and their political parties at the Center and in the different states to get their act together to continue with their SEZ policy. Now, the Center has lifted the stay on the SEZ's that had already been approved. It has declared that private parties will be free to expropriate peasants and deprive them of their land and establish SEZ's after giving them "compensation according to the market”.

People’s Voice hails the just struggle of the people against the anti worker and anti peasant SEZ policy of the rulers.