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Karat: no truck with Congress

Sarabjit Pandher

CHANDIGARH: CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat on Wednesday ruled out any scope of alliance with the Congress in any State during the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, as the party was committed to ensure the defeat of the Congress as well as the BJP.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of the party’s Punjab State Council here, Mr. Karat reiterated that the CPI(M) would be part of a non-Congress secular alliance of like-minded parties.

If voted to power, the alliance would not only scrap the India-U.S. nuclear deal but also reverse a plethora of anti-people policies implemented during recent years.

He demanded an immediate reduction in the prices of petrol, diesel and LPG, commensurate with prevailing international prices of crude oil.

Saying it was improper to focus on reducing fiscal deficit, Mr. Karat demanded that the Union and State governments should increase public expenditure to increase production and create more jobs.

He sought a special package to support export-oriented industries as a measure to tide over the economic crisis caused by the global meltdown.

Mr. Karat expressed major reservations over various clauses in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendments Bills.

He sought that the jurisdiction of the proposed NIA be clearly defined, while proper role for the agencies functioning at the State level should also be laid out.

Fearing that different provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendments Bill were open to misuse, Mr. Karat said the extension of detention period of the accused from 90 days to six months was not required.

He said the party was opposed to granting unbridled powers to the police or the NIA, which may take into custody any individual on the pretext of non-compliance to furnish information required by the investigating officers.

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