Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat has said that the solar scam in the State has all the makings of the multi-crore corruption scandals reported from across the country under the United Progressive Alliance regime and that Chief Minister Oommen Chandy should resign to facilitate an impartial investigation.
Inaugurating a seminar on “Neoliberalism: corruption and centralisation, the struggle for a Left alternative” organised in connection with the 50 anniversary celebrations of the Chintha weekly here on Thursday, Mr. Karat said it was necessary to go into the whole affair to arrive at the root of the scam and to fix accountability, which was why the Left was demanding the resignation of Mr. Chandy. An impartial investigation was not possible when he led the government, he said.
Earlier, Mr. Karat said there existed a nexus among big business houses, the ruling political class and the bureaucracy, which was bent on taking forward neoliberal policies, the naked pursuit of which had resulted in the country heading into a deep economic crisis. The overdependence on foreign capital, to which nothing, including the Defence sector, remained sacrosanct now, had pushed the country into the current crisis and still, the way supposedly out, chosen by the United Progressive Alliance, was to invite more foreign capital, to pledge the country’s natural resources to foreign capitalists and thus, go deeper into the crisis. The latest example of this “legalised loot” of the country’s precious resources was the increase in price of natural gas, which was undoubtedly to help the Reliance group. Big capitalists were making windfall profits, even as corruption became endemic, the country’s GDP dipped, exports fell by 4.6 per cent in June alone, industrial production suffered, the current account deficit reached unsustainable proportions and deflation of the rupee continued.
Accusing the Centre of usurping State powers and blatantly violating federal principles, Mr. Karat said funds were being denied to States that refused to implement neoliberal policies.
Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan spoke.
CPI(M) State Secretary Pinarayi Vijayan presided over the function. Deputy Leader of the Opposition Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, the former Finance Minister T.M. Thomas Isaac, Left Democratic Front convener Vaikom Viswan and CPI(M) district secretary Kadakampally Surendran were present.
