Upping its ante against the Union government on price rise in the country, the CPI(M) will launch a countrywide agitation with other Left parties on this issue. After a two-day meeting of the CPI(M) politburo in Kolkata on Sunday, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat charged that the Union government was failing to control food inflation. “Yesterday, the petrol price was increased by `2.52 per litre and this is the second increase in the price of petrol in January. Deregulation of petrol prices has increased the inflation,” Mr Karat said.
Mr Karat further added that since the Trinamul Congress was in the Union government, the party cannot remain quiet and should have to explain its position on prise rise in the country which is affecting the common man.
The CPI(M) politburo also strongly criticised the UPA government for its refusal to accept a JPC enquiry into the 2G spectrum case. “Though the minister, A. Raja was forced to resign after the CAG report on the scam, the UPA government continues to adopt a position hampering the investigation and bringing the guilty to book. “The outrageous statement of Kapil Sibal (who is looking after the telecom ministry) denying the findings of the CAG report and stating that no loss of revenue has occurred, indicates that the UPA government wants to cover up the whole affair,” Mr Karat said.
In this connection, the CPI(M) will consult with all the non-NDA Opposition parties to evolve a common approach in the forthcoming budget session of parliament. Referring to the “spate of corruption scandals in the recent period,” Mr Karat said: “These are all pointers to how corruption and crony capitalism have become an institutionalised feature of the neo-liberal regime. The Congress-led government has been exposed for not pursuing the Bofors case by the recent verdict given by the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal.”
The CPI(M) will continue to expose the big business-ruling politicians-bureaucratic nexus which is the source of high level corruption, Mr Karat indicated.