Left stir against govt on Oct 10

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, September 20

A national convention addressed here by heads of five Left parties, including CPM’s Sitaram Yechury  and CPI’s D Raja, on Friday as a mark of protest against the Centre’s economic policy resulting in slowdown, gave a joint call for a weeklong, nationwide agitation from October 10.

A resolution adopted by it asked the government to spend the Rs 1.76 lakh crore it took from RBI reserve on public investment programmes to generate jobs and domestic demand.

“Instead, the Modi government seeks to meet the revenue deficit of Rs 1,70,000 crore incurred last year due to demonetisation and GST,” the resolution added. 

Also, it urged the government to provide one-time loan waiver to the farmers. 

The heads of CPM, CPI, RSP, CPI(M-L) and AIFB attended the meeting. Addressing the convention, Yechury said the employment rate under the present government was the lowest in the last 50 years.

“The economic mess is the result of warped polices of the government. All sectors of economy are in distress,” Yechury said, and alleged that the government was trying to divert public attention from the genuine problems through its “shenanigans” on Jammu and Kashmir, NRC and divisive issues.

“Even after 45 days of abrogation of Article 370 Kashmir faces a lockdown,” Yechury said. D Raja criticised the merger of banks.