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Latest gift from Manmohan government: Karat

Staff Reporter

KOTTAYAM: The Left will join hands with other democratic and secular parties in the Opposition to launch a countrywide agitation against the Central government’s decision to hike the prices of diesel and petrol, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat said here on Thursday.

Addressing a rally after the 19th CPI(M) State conference here, Mr. Karat said it was unfortunate that the UPA government had increased the prices of diesel and petrol.

“It was only last week that we had asked them not to increase the prices of diesel and petrol and instead cut the heavy taxes being levied on petroleum products and pass on the benefits of such a measure to the people. Unfortunately, they have not done that.”

“This is the latest gift from the Manmohan Singh government to the people who are already suffering from all-round price rise.”

Mr. Karat said the hike should be seen against the backdrop of the economic policies being dictated by the Western capitalist interests.

The country could not progress unless these policies were changed. The current policies were beneficial only to the rich. The Left would have to take the initiative to formulate alternative economic policies and reject those being pursued by the Congress. This would be possible only if the CPI(M) and the other Left parties strengthened their mass base.

The Left had to shoulder this responsibility because the Bharatiya Janata Party was interested only in pursuing a divisive communal agenda. The BJP did not care for any issue of interest to the people at large. This implied that the Left would have to play the role of the main Opposition.

The CPI(M) leader said the Left had already done much to resist the “anti-people” economic policies of the UPA government and to force implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, which would cover all the districts in the country from April 1. It had also succeeded in getting the government enact legislation to provide protection to tribals and forest wealth.

Mr. Karat said the Left had not allowed the government to privatise even a single profit-making public sector unit and fought successfully against the attempt of multinationals to enter the retail sector. But there was more ground to be covered and stop national monopolies such as the Reliance Group from entering the retail sector.

The Left had seen to it that Foreign Direct Investment was not permitted in the banking, insurance and higher education sectors. The CPI(M) would carry forward the efforts to get the Centre implement Swaminathan Commission recommendations. The debt relief legislation enacted by the LDF government in Kerala could be a model for the UPA government.

Mr. Karat said the Left Front governments in Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura would act as the bulwark of the Left and democratic movement in India.

Kerala Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and CPI(M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan also addressed the rally which was preceded by a march of red volunteers.

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