Sunday, September 11 2005 20:07 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Cuttack: Four opposition parties in Orissa today (Sept 11, 2005) launched campaign against the Rs. 51,000 crore proposed steel project of South Korean company stating the country did not require foreign investment in the steel sector.

Leaders of the Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India Marxist (CPI-M), Orissa Gana Parishad (OGP) and Janata Dal(S), who addressed a joint meeting here, said the state-wide campaign against the 12 million tonne project would continue till the MoU signed by the state government with POSCO was scrapped.

CPI national secretary D. Raja, who addressed the gathering, said his party had already taken up the matter with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh adding there was no need for foreign investment in the steel sector.

Endorsing this view, CPI(M) state secretary Janardan Pati, OGP general secretary Bijay Parida and JD(S) general secretary krushna chandra patra said their parties would continue to oppose the project.

"When plenty of domestic investment and technology are available in the country in the steel and mines sector, we fail to understand why the Orissa government is going to tie- up with a foreign company", Raja said.