‘BJP likely to dilute welfare schemes’

Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau member B.V. Raghavulu has expressed apprehensions that the BJP-led Union Government could dilute the existing welfare schemes and dole out largesse to corporates and big businesses.

The BJP Government had come to power with strong support from the corporates and these big business houses were seeking various concessions from the government. “Bowing to the pressure from the corporate houses, the government is likely to burden the common man. At the same time, steps are also under way to dilute the welfare schemes for different sections,” he said.

Mr. Raghavulu was addressing a meeting of the party’s State committee held here on Friday. He lamented that “communal forces” were bent on ensuring implementation of their agenda that could harm the secular fabric of the country. The frequent mention of the Article 370 and common civil code ever since the BJP had won the election was reflective of the pressure mounted by the communal forces on the government.

On the party’s performance in the recent elections, he exhorted the party rank and file to study the reasons behind the drop in the party vote share. Once the reasons were ascertained, efforts should be made to reconstruct the party grass root level and this could be possible by mobilising different sections in the struggle for redressal of their grievances.

CPI (M) State secretary P. Madhu underlined the need for mounting pressure on the State and Central Governments to ensure that the promises made at the time of bifurcation of the State including the packages announced for the residuary State were implemented. The TDP which promised waiver of crop loans should take steps to ensure that farmers, particularly tenants, were provided credit during kharif so that they could commence the agricultural operations.

The meeting was presided over by the party’s Central Committee member Paturi Ramaiah and was attended by State committee members from all the 13 districts.