Special economic zones came in for criticism in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday with CPI MP D Raja saying it was a kind of "land grab' which had created new and "modern zamindars' and it had debased the life of farmers, tribals and agricultural workers who are being deprived of their land. Stating that the government was yet to make any assessment of the impact of SEZ policy on society, Raja demanded a review. He said when the SEZ idea was mooted, even some Left party members had supported it "as it looked very naive initially. But once rules were framed, the devil was out of the bag'. He said 40% of the land acquired for SEZs belonged to tribals, adding that the government "had sanctioned 600 SEZs'. "There is no limit to it. And all this land is being used to build malls, theatres and cinema halls. It's kind of land grabbing,' he added. Raja said SEZs were only benefiting big business houses and MNCs who were getting various exemptions from labour laws and tax rules. The policy, he said, was based on the assumption that it was conducive for faster economic growth. "The question is has the government made any assessment about this and about its impact on the those whose life it was debasing. The Act must be amended,' Raja said. The discussion on this issue will continue next week.