New Delhi: The CPI(M) Thursday attacked the
government for "abdicating" its responsibility of providing
succour to the people against rising prices, saying it had
even given up the pretext of showing remorse towards
"suffering India".
"Even the pretext of showing remorse at the
unprecedented burdens being imposed on the vast majority of
Indian people due to relentless rise in the prices ... has now
been officially given up by the UPA-2 government," party's
Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said.
In this context, he quoted Finance Minister Pranab
Mukherjee as saying in Lok Sabha that "I will not be surprised
if it (inflation) reaches double digits in March itself".
In an editorial in the party organ 'People's
Democracy', the CPI(M) leader said, "By pleading helplessness,
the government is not just abdicating its responsibility of
providing some relief to the people.
"Worse, it is blatantly declaring that in order to
provide further gains and super profits to its social base of
the ruling classes, the 'aam aadmi' has to suffer by bearing
the burden for providing such gains to the rich. Therefore,
for the shining India to shine brighter, suffering India will
have to endure greater suffering."
He said Mukherjee then "went on to justify that India
has lived with higher rates of inflation in the past and,
therefore, this is no big deal" and added that the President,
in her address to Parliament, "had said that price rise was
only "inevitable".
Yechury referred to several suggestions made by the
Left parties like universalising PDS, banning futures trading
in essential items, releasing excess foodgrains lying in
government godowns and withdrawing fuel and fertiliser price
hike to bring down prices and accused the government of
"refusing to undertake any of these measures".
Instead, he said the government was "brazenly
justifying" the hike in fuel and fertiliser prices and
"unambiguously signalling that the vast majority of the Indian
people will have to shoulder the burden of pampering the rich
so that UPA 2 could politically consolidate itself".
He said the latest budget "shamelessly" transfers huge
amount of resources to the rich in terms of direct tax
concessions and various other concessions for corporates and
high end income tax payers, while the common man has been
burdened by an increase in indirect taxes.
"Combined with the hike in the prices of fuel and
fertilisers the misery of the vast majority of our people has
only been compounded further," Yechury said.
He said as a result of budgetary proposals, the
wholesale price index had touched a 16-month high of 9.89 per
cent in February, "primarily driven by the hike in the fuel
prices and is bound to accelerate when the realisations of the
increase in excise duties will come in March".
Calling for "powerful militant" nationwide protests,
he said the mass protest rally led by the Left parties on
March 12 would have to be followed by 'Jail Bharo' agitation
in every district of the country on April 12.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 15:14