The government decision to allow FDI in multi-brand retail would affect four crore families that depend on retail trade and the Left parties would not allow even a single Walmart outlet to be set up in the country, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat said here on Tuesday.
Speaking at a rally organised by the CPI(M) as part of its State-wide campaign – “Oust BJP and Congress, save the people,” he said the Left parties would conduct a nationwide campaign against allowing FDI.
The UPA government “is the most corrupt regime since Independence and bringing Walmart into the country means bringing in more corruption.” Investigations showed that Walmart had bribed Indian authorities. “This is the reason why it was forced to suspend four of its officials,” he said. Mr. Karat alleged that all the policies of the Manmohan Singh-led government were biased towards the rich. After waiving corporate tax dues worth Rs. 5.28 lakh crore, the UPA was trying to make up for the deficit by either reducing or withdrawing subsidies being given to poor and needy sections.
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Mr. Karat called for ousting the UPA government by forming a political alternative to both the Congress and the BJP. “Such a political alternative should be formed by uniting the non-Congress secular and democratic forces through public struggles based on alternative policies.”
The Left parties were launching a movement in March by taking out four separate jathas from different parts of the country to Delhi.
The CPI(M) would launch a mass signature campaign of five crore people in support of the demand for supplying 35 kg of grains to BPL families at Rs. 2 a kg.
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The signatures would be submitted to the Prime Minister before the budget session for the government to adopt the food security bill with this above provision in the budget session itself.