<br/>In Kerala, protest against introduction of Bt. brinjal is gaining momentum as the State government has sought assistance of NGOs and environment protection groups to launch state wide satygraha against genetically modified crops on 30th January. The state Agriculture Minister Mr Mullakkara Ratnakaran has said that since many Europen countries are opposed to genetically modified crops, India should not make its soil an experiment groud for such crops. In a joint press conference at Thiruvananthapuram he urged the Centre to act with abundant precaution. Quoting eminent scientist Mr M S Swaminathan, well-known environmentalist Suguathakumari said that prologned tests and research need to be carried out in Indian laborotories to ascertain the ill effects of genetically modified crops. Prominent scientists pointed out that cultivation Bt.brinjal can lead to destruction of local varieties through cross pollination. There are enough examples of such cases in Mexico as far as maize cultivation is concerned.