More than six years after a moratorium on Bt Brinjal halted the development of the transgenic vegetable, a sinister game is being played again. This time, it is the mustard crop that is under the threat of being replaced by an ill-tested, gene-altered version, whose impact on the ecosystem remains unknown.

Gurmukh Singh, 52, from Batala in Gurdaspur owns 12 acres of land of which he grows Mustard on four acres. An organic farmer, he saves seeds from his produce for each sowing cycle. Like his fellow farmers in Batala and many others from different parts of Punjab, Singh is miffed with the Centre. The rush to appraise and clear commercial cultivation of the genetically modified (GM) Mustard has brought him to Jantar Mantar in Delhi on Tuesday, to join hundreds from across the country who are demanding that there should be no commercial cultivation of GM Mustard.

New Delhi: Nearly 150 organizations from across India protested on Tuesday at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, warning the central government of a stir against it if it approves commercialization of genetically modified (GM) mustard.

NEW DELHI: More than 100 organisations representing farmer unions, trade unions, civil society groups and political parties are protesting the government's plans to commercially release genetically modified (GM) Mustard. On Tuesday a large number of representatives from all of these organisations under the banner "sarson satygraha" gathered at Jantar Mantar to pledge and declare that they will continue to fight efforts to introduce GM crops in India.

नई दिल्ली। जीएम सरसों को किसान विरोधी करार देते हुए जीएफ फसलों के विरोधी कार्यकर्ताओं ने इसे वाणिज्यिक रूप से जारी करने की मंजूरी दिये जाने की स्थिति में देशव्यापी हड़ताल करने की धमकी दी है। इस विरोध प्रदर्शन में भारत भर के जीएफ फसलों के विरोधी 150 संगठन इसे प्रतिबंधित करने की मांग करने जंतर मंतर पर इकट्ठा हुए।

New Delhi: Hundreds of farmers and activists gathered at Janta Mantar today to protest against genetically modified (GM) mustard. Their coming together coincided with the Supreme Court’s hearing a petition filed by the environmentalist Aruna Rodrigues seeking a ban on open field trials and the commercial release of GM mustard.

जीएम सरसों के खिलाफ लड़ाई में मंगलवार को एक राजनीतिक रंग दिखा. विपक्षी पार्टियां, किसानों और सामाजिक कार्यकर्ताओं के साथ विरोध प्रदर्शन करने एक ही मंच पर आ गईं और इनके साथ संघ परिवार के कुछ घटक भी खुलकर सरकार का विरोध करते दिखे.

New Delhi, Representatives of over 120 organisations from 20 states will gather at Jantar Mantar here tomorrow to demand a ban on commercial release of GM mustard.

The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that it would not commercially release Genetically Modified (GM) Mustard crop seeds without its permission. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi appearing before a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur said if there would be any decision to go ahead with the field trials of the GM crop and for its commercial release, then it would first seek the apex court's permission.

New Delhi: The Centre on Monday informed the Supreme Court that it will not approve the commercial use of genetically modified (GM) mustard without the court’s approval first. Attorney General (AG) Mukul Rohatgi gave this assurance before a three-judge Bench of Chief Justices T.S. Thakur and Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and L. Nageswara Rao while hearing a petition filed by the environmentalist Aruna Rodrigues. Rodrigues was seeking the prohibition of open field-trials and the commercial release of GM mustard. Earlier, on October 7, the court had asked the centre not to release GM mustard till the court could take a call on all the issues.