Left lambasts govt for 'dismal' show

NEW DELHI: The CPM seems to have already gone into election mode. Taking the Opposition space, the party on Monday dubbed the performance of the Congress-led UPA as “dismal” and launched a scathing attack on the government’s policies - both economic and foreign. After the meeting of the party’s central committee, the CPM said the record of the last few months shows that the UPA is “callous” about fulfilling its aam admi promises.

The CPM, which alleged a pro-rich, pro-US bias in the government’s policy, said it continues to take measures to allow foreign capital in the financial sector “as promised in the Indo-US joint CEO forum”, and go ahead with opening up FDI in retail trade. The communique issued after its three-day meeting of the central committee lambasted the government on issues like price rise, wheat import, agrarian crisis, “tardy” implementation of Sachar Committee recommendations and gas pricing.

With the Indo-US nuclear deal creating fissures in the Left’s relations with the Congress, the CPM said it will take the government’s “anti-people” measures to the people. While the nuclear deal and the anti-Americanism plank itself may form just a part of its campaign, the Left will focus on issues like price rise.

The note accused the government of “miserably failing” to check price rise by stopping speculation and hoarding of essential commodities. It said despite the government’s claims of the lowest level of inflation in the past two years, the prices of vegetables, pulses and edible oil are high. The CPM said the situation is the result of the “dogged refusal of the government” to strengthen the PDS.

The party also demanded a high-level inquiry into the management of wheat stocks and imports. “It is indefensible that the government should pay as much as Rs 1,600 a quintal to foreign traders when it paid Indian farmers an MSP of Rs 850 a quintal,” it said. Alleging that the gap in meeting targets in domestic procurement is because of virtual hand-over of procurement to foreign and Indian corporates, it asked the government to give a better price and protect the interests of farmers.

The party said small and marginal farmers bear the brunt of the government’s economic policies, and accused government of “callousness” towards the agrarian distress. “The figures being put out by the government of increased rural credit conceal the fact that the majority of farmers have no access to credit and are still dependant on money lenders,” it said.