Intensifying their battle against FDI in multi-brand retail, the Left parties on Monday, decided to move motions under voting rules in both Houses of Parliament to reject the government’s decision on the matter.
“The Left parties will move motions under the voting clauses, calling upon the House to disapprove the government’s decision to allow FDI in multi-brand retail,” CPI National Secretary D.Raja told PTI after a meeting of the four parties here.
Rule 184 of Lok Sabha’s Rules of Business and Rule 167 in the Rajya Sabha entail voting after discussion on a matter.
The meeting, attended by the top-brass of the CPI(M), CPI, RSP and Forward Bloc, also decided to launch a nationwide campaign for “a universal public distribution system and an effective food security law which assures all citizens access to food,” a statement by the Left parties said.
The parties would conduct a countrywide mass campaign to collect five crore signatures, with Left activists going house-to-house to collect signatures in the months of December and January, Raja said.
The demands on which the signatures would be collected would be for setting up of a universal public distribution system without dividing the people into BPL and APL and supply of 35 kgs of foodgrains at not more than Rs 2 per kg which should be provided for in the proposed law on food security.
The parties also opposed the cash transfer scheme in the PDS.
Besides Raja, those who attended the meeting are A.B.Bardhan and S.Sudhakar Reddy (both CPI), Prakash Karat, Sitaram Yechury and S.Ramachandran Pillai (all CPI-M), Debabrata Biswas (Forward Bloc) and Abani Roy (RSP).
