Left Parties should focus on open-defecation: Amartya Sen

KOLKATA: Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen today urged Left parties to fight for eradication of the practice of open defecation and open toilets, in addition to focussing on food security and LPG price hike.

"I am sometimes accused of being critical of the Left parties. I am particularly upset, when they go after the issues of cooking gas (price hike) and other issues. They should also focus (on eradicating) the menace of open defecation, open toilets," Sen said while addressing the Kolkata Literary Meet.

Earlier on several occasions, Sen had raised the issues of open defecation and child malnutrition in the country, taking note that Bangladesh had surged ahead of India in curbing open defecation by a large extent.