Parliamentary panel orders probe into BT Brinjal

New Delhi: A Parliamentary panel ordered a probe into the BT Brinjal on Thursday after a parliamentary committee report said that adequate tests were not carried out and that the committee approving its use was under tremendous pressure from a minister to approve the BT Brinjal.

The report quoted Dr PM Bhargava, the Supreme Court nominee on the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) as saying that a "minister" was putting pressure on the committee.

While deposing before the committee, Bhargava said, "Co-Chairman of the GEAC Dr Arjula Reddy confessed to me that the tests on assessing Bt Brinjal were not carried and even the test undertaken were done badly and that Dr Reddy was under tremendous pressure and was getting calls from the industry, GEAC and from 'the Minister' to approve Bt Brinjal."

A Parliamentary report found that adequate tests were not carried out and there was pressure from a minister to approve the BT Brinjal.

The committee has refrained from naming the minister.

Meanwhile, the panel head, Basudeb Acharya also said that there was a link between Bt Cotton and farmers' suicide.

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