Left parties announced to stage a protest on October 10 against the Modi government over the matter of “economic slowdown“. While speaking to the media on Friday, the parties condemned the ongoing economic management by the BJP government.
Left parties National Convention calls upon all its units to organise protest activities demanding the immediate implementation of its demands by the Modi govt between 10th & 16th of Oct 2019.https://t.co/JxZP3JhUka
— CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) September 20, 2019
The protest will be held nation-wide and it will be a week-long demonstration. Left parties coming for the protest include CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML), RSP and Forward Bloc.
Addressing the media, Left parties pressed various demands to handle the troubled economic situation. The party called for unemployment allowance for the youths and minimum monthly wage of Rs. 18,000. It also condemned the privatization of the public sector. The party also said that it wants the government to increase MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) funds.
The party’s demands also include a one-time loan waiver for farmers and a minimum monthly pension of Rs. 3000 to widows and old-age citizens.
At a convention, CPI leader Sitaram Yechury said that the country is witnessing the worst job crisis in the last 50 years. Youths are on the streets because of unemployment.
A statement issued at the convention read-
“Economy is in the grip of an extremely serious crisis bordering on a recession. All evidence, including the doctored official data, confirms that in almost all sectors of the economy, there is a collapse of demand leading to big cuts in production and unprecedented mounting job losses, women being the worst victims. The sales of automobiles, textiles up to the sale of biscuits in a country that loves “chai biskut” tellingly demonstrates the current reality.”
CPI general secretary D Raja slammed the Nirmala Sitharaman‘s announcements as a move to please the corporate sector. He also said that the government is being run by corporates only.
Previously in the day, CPI also posted a twitter message expressing the party’s dissatisfaction with the announced economic reforms.
The misappropriation of the reserves of the RBI to the tune of Rs 1.76 lakh crore is now being transferred to the corporates as a #CorporateTax cut instead of it being used for increasing public investments that will generate employment and increase people’s purchasing power.
— CPI (M) (@cpimspeak) September 20, 2019
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