Captain to host organic dinner for Prince Charles

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New Delhi, March 27: The Punjab chief minister, Capt Amarinder Singh’s offer to host an organic dinner for Prince Charles, has invited sharp criticism from the NGOs and intelligensia of the state.

In an open letter, they have exposed the hypocrisy saying: “Is it not ironical, that a strong supporter of genetically modified (GM) crops is hosting an organic dinner in the the honour of a known opponent of GM crops? Probably you cannot rationally explain this contradiction.”

Prince Charles is scheduled to visit Punjab on March 27-28. He has expressed desire to interact with the state’s organic farmers.

Criticising the new-found love of the chief minister for organic food, NGOs like Kheti Virasat Mission, Centre for Sustainable Agriculture and professors of the leading universities of the state have jointly shot out an open letter, questioning as to how he would explain to the visiting Prince about Punjab, which is plagued with adverse effects of chemical agriculture.

The open letter to the chief minister quoted Prince Charles saying: “I personally have no wish to eat anything produced by genetic modification nor do I knowingly offer this sort of produce to my family or guests...We need a GM-free Wales and a GM-free Britain as well, for that matter. We simply do not know the long-term consequences for human health and the wider environment, of releasing plants bred in this way. I hope we understand the vital importance of working in harmony with nature and not against it.”

In this context, the open letter questioned the chief minister’s proactive role in promoting Bt cotton in Punjab. It alleged that the state government used public funds to promote the cultivation of Bt cotton.