Left protest against inflation from 17, July 06

NEW DELHI: Left parties will begin three-day protests against rising inflation graph tomorrow asking the government to reverse the amendments to the Essential Commodities Act, primarily carried out during the NDA regime, to control the rise in prices of essential commodities.

The protests, earlier planned to be carried out for a week, were curtailed due to the serial blasts in Mumbai.

Left sources said they were seeking reversal of the amendments as the number of items in the essential commodities list had declined from 70 in 1989 to 15 during the tenure of the erstwhile NDA government at the Centre, which had contributed the most for the spate of price rise.

CPI(M) has brought out a leaflet listing the reasons for the exhorbitant rise in prices of essential commodities to be used during the protests, which would continue till July 19.

It points out that these amendments had jeopardised the government's capabilities to check "reckless profiteering" in trade in essential commodities by stockists and hoarders.

The party referred to two NDA orders of 2002 and 2003, which removed the licensing requirements, stock limits, movement restrictions on items like wheat, grains, sugar, edible oilseeds, pulses, jaggery, flour and vegetable oils.

This, the CPI(M) said, allowed dealers to freely buy these items, sell them, transport, distribute and dispose them. This has "played havoc" with the supply and prices of essential commodities.

Besides seeking reversal of these amendments, the party is also demanding a ban on forward and future trading in such items, which help big stockholders to make huge profits through speculative gains, the party said.