The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Thursday offered itself as an alternative to the “identical policies” of the Congress and the BJP by releasing its manifesto for the coming Assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh.
State party secretary and central committee member Onkar Shad said, “The neo-liberal policies pursued by both the BJP and the Congress are proving to be highly anti-people and anti-poor.”
Both are competing in taking the credit for the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Aadhaar and other unpopular issues, he said.
“The incumbent government’s demonetisation and GST implementation has shaken the foundations of the Indian economy and that has affected both the sellers and the buyers.”
The CPI(M) has pledged to raise pro-people issues inside and outside the Vidhan Sabha and said the fund-starved hill State should ask for compensation of at least ₹1,000 crore from the Centre for preserving its forest wealth; and demand for 12% share in all hydro electric projects.
The vast army of unemployed youth in the State should be provided 70% employment reservation in all State-based industries, and a minimum wage of ₹18,000 should be given to all workers in the unorganised sectors, the manifesto says.
