CALLING upon the people of West Bengal and Kerala to ensure the victory of the Left Front (LF) and the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in the coming assembly polls in their respective states, CPI (M) general secretary, Prakash Karat, underlined in a recent press conference that the Left is set to fight against the Congress party and its allies, like the Trinamul Congress (TMC), in these states. He said that these parties, pitted against the Left alignment, are partners in the Congress led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) whose anti-people policies have led to sharp rises in the prices of essential commodities, attacked the livelihood of the toiling masses and given rise to corruption on a large scale. The CPI (M) general secretary also drew attention to the glorious performance of the Left led governments in defending the interests of the people, in three states in contrast to the poor record of the Congress and its allies at the centre and in states where they are in power. That is why the CPI (M) has urged the people of West Bengal and Kerala to ensure the victory of Left led alliances in these states.
Karat made this point while addressing the media persons at the CPI (M) headquarters in New Delhi on March 6, after the two-day meeting of the Central Committee of the party on March 4 and 5.
Replying to the queries coming from the media persons, the CPI (M) leader made it clear that large-scale corruption and scams would be an important issue in the upcoming elections to five state assemblies. On the question of allegations of corruption labelled against the son of the Kerala chief minister, Karat reminded that the chief minister had himself announced that his government was prepared to get any allegation probed if it appeared credible, and thus there was no meaning of simply making wild allegations in this regard. In reply to another query, Karat made it clear that it is the state committees of the CPI (M) that decide candidates for polls in their respective states, and that the West Bengal and Kerala state committees were yet to meet in this connection. He expressed confidence that Buddhadeb Bhattacharya would credibly led the Left Front’s election campaign in West Bengal.
Karat also clarified the CPI (M)’s tactic for the assembly polls in three other states, particularly Tamilnadu. In the latter state, the DMK-Congress alliance was on the verge of a break-up at the time the said press conference was held. Replying to queries in this connection, the CPI (M) leader made it clear that in Tamilnadu both the communist parties are parts of the AIADMK led coalition which would strive to defeat the DMK-Congress coalition in the state. However, while talking of the tension in the latter coalition, Karat expressed his belief that both the parties would soon have a compromise.
Underlining the Supreme Court’s verdict indicting the UPA government in appointment of the central vigilance commissioner (CVC), the CPI (M) general secretary said the government’s expression of faith in the court’s decision was not enough. The real issue is: why was P J Thomas appointed as the CVC even after he had worked as the telecom secretary under the scam-tainted A Raja? Was it aimed at a cover-up of the mega scam that had taken place in the telecom ministry? Karat said this has cast doubt directly on the role of the prime minister in this matter. He emphasised that the Congress led regime has been a regime of mega scams and of the attempts at their cover-up. The CPI (M) leader also replied to queries regarding the appointment of P J Thomas as Kerala’s chief secretary while a chargesheet had been filed in the palmoline case. Referring to the chief minister’s statement in this regard, Karat said the state government had had to perforce appoint Thomas as the chief secretary after it was told that IAS officers had to be appointed to the state cadre positions on the basis of seniority. However, even if Thomas had to be appointed as Kerala’s chief secretary on the principle of seniority, that appointment could not be equated with his appointment as the chief of one of the premier investigating agencies in the country. Karat also made it clear that the UPA government’s responsibility did not end with the constitution of a joint parliamentary committee (JVC) to probe the 2G scam, and that the government needed to move in order to compensate for the loss of revenue through realisation of money from those who have made illicit gains from the scam.
Dubbing the Union Budget 2011-12 as one more evidence of the UPA government’s attacks on the common people’s life and livelihood, the CPI (M) general secretary drew attention in particular to the budget proposals for cuts in subsidies the people were so far getting. Expressing total opposition to the cash transfer proposal in regard to the kerosene and fertiliser subsidies, Karat said it is in reality a method to effect further cuts in the subsidies being given to the common people. He stressed that a cash transfer regime would only contribute to the demise of the public distribution system, thereby leading to all the sharper rises in the prices of essential commodities. On the other hand, such cash transfers would lose all meaning in the context of the fast rising prices. Criticising this model, Karat asked what would the cash transfer to the peasants below the officially defined line of poverty mean, while the peasants with small plots of land are deemed to be above this line and thus as non-poor.
In regard to the Srikrishna commission’s report on the Telangana issue, the CPI (M) leader underlined that the deadlock continues only because the UPA government is not willing to take a stand on the report. On the other hand, he welcomed the Assam government’s move to start an unconditional dialogue with the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) and urged the government to initiate similar dialogue processes with other extremist groups in Assam and other north-eastern states.
While welcoming the popular upsurge in Egypt, Prakash Karat warned against the NATO or American intervention in Libya, saying that to decide their fate and a political system of their choice is the prerogative of the Libyan people themselves. He urged the government of India to do everything possible to evacuate all the Indians still present in Libya. As most of those coming back from Libya are ordinary workers who have lost their employments, the government must also take energetic measures for their rehabilitation.
