Chief minister (CM) Nitish Kumar has offered his full support to the Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) to prevent the introduction of GM mustard

EXCERPT: [ASHA national convenor Kavita Kuruganti] claimed that the current sets of three GM mustard are herbicide tolerant crops. But the GM application does not declare them so, nor test them in the context of herbicide tolerant crops. Rapid emergence of super weeds (weeds that cannot be killed by herbicides anymore) due to excessive use of herbicide tolerant GM crops is well documented, so are the impacts on beneficial non targets like bees and butterflies and soil microbes.
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CM backs Bangalore body on GM crops

Times of India, Sep 1, 2016
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/patna/CM-backs-Bangalore-body-on-GM-crops/articleshow/53968807.cms

Chief minister (CM) Nitish Kumar on Thursday assured full support to Bangalore-based Alliance for Sustainable and Holistic Agriculture (ASHA) to prevent the introduction of genetically modified (GM) mustard crops in Indian market.

ASHA national convenor Kavita Kuruganti said the CM has assured them of all help in their struggle against GM crops. "We have come here to seek Nitish Kumar's intervention at national level to prevent the introduction of GM mustard. He had earlier vehemently opposed the introduction of Brinjal in 2011," Kuruganti said.

She said the application for introduction of GM mustard is in advanced stage of processing by the regulators. "After the moratorium on Brinjal, more scientific evidence emerged to show that GMs are unsafe and unwarranted," she added.

Kuruganti said ASHA will continue to oppose the corporatization of agriculture, chemical utilization and free trade. "We feel Bihar CM is the right person because he understands the repercussion of the GM crops which have an adverse impact on the environment and lead to heavy lobbying and corporatization of agriculture. World over, the activists are working towards prevention of genetically modified crops," she added.

The ASHA member claimed that the current sets of three GM mustard are herbicide tolerant crops. But the GM application does not declare them so, nor test them in the context of herbicide tolerant crops. Rapid emergence of super weeds (weeds that cannot be killed by herbicides anymore) due to excessive use of herbicide tolerant GM crops is well documented, so are the impacts on beneficial non targets like bees and butterflies and soil microbes.

"Genetic engineering is an unnatural and imprecise breeding technology. There is much scientific evidence to show that it is unstable, unpredictable, irreversible and uncontrollable technology. Environmental release of GMs increase risk in agriculture and takes away choices of both the farmers and consumers," said Kuruganti.