CPI(M) picks a bone with Union Finance Minister
Ravi S Singh
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 15
In line with its critique of the Rs 20-lakh crore stimulus package announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the CPI(M), on Friday, picked a bone with Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for her claims of the government’s relief measures for people.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had elaborated the relief and welfare measures while detailing the second tranche of the “stimulus package”, which the CPI(M) dismissed as “hoax”.
“The much-awaited second tranche of the Rs 20-lakh crore financial package regarding the migrant workers, farmers and the poor has turned out to be a cruel hoax,” the CMI (M) said following meeting of its Polit Bureau.
The CPI (M) countered Nirmala Sitharaman saying no money has been transferred from the government to any of the worst-affected sections of our people, specifically migrant workers, street vendors, domestic workers and fishing workers.
“This package is mainly provision of loans,” the CPI(M) stated.
Picking holes in Nirmala Sitharaman’s assertions that there was a 40 to 50 per cent increase in the MNREGA workdays generated, it said in April 2019, as many as 27.3 crore personal days were generated compared to 11.1 crore this year — the lowest in a decade.
Besides, the CPI(M)’s case is that the government addressed to the issue of retrenchment had been lacklustre.
The party put forth demands, including a minimum cash transfer of Rs 7,500 per month for the next three months for all families outside of the income tax paying bracket in view of loss of large number of jobs.
Also, it made case for providing 10 kgs of foodgrains per individual, per month, for the next six months from the stock of 77 million tonnes in their godowns.
The party pitched for free transportation of migrant workers who have been on the roads for the last fifty days.
