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UPA Govt : Left’s opposition to Pension Reforms |
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The CPI(M) has demanded a change in the economic direction of the UPA Government saying that it has gone against the interests of the common people. Speaking to newspersons in New Delhi during the three-day meeting of the party Central Committee, general secretary Prakash Karat said that the party would oppose any move to privatise the Pension Fund and to reduce interest rate on Employees Provident Fund. He said on Friday, Dec. 16, that the party would step up its campaign against the role of US imperialism in different parts of the globe including its hegemonic moves in Iraq, Iran and Syria. On the WTO talks in Hong Kong, Karat said the CPI(M) Central Committee has asked the Government not to accept any terms under pressure which would prove detrimental to the interests of farmers and the people.
The Left’s opposition to the Manmohan Singh Government’s economic policies was also reflected in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, Dec. 15, when its members and those of the Samajwadi Party walked out after a scathing attack on the proposal to restructure and modernise Mumbai and Delhi airports. They alleged that the entire bidding process was dubious as there was a conflict of interest in the functions of the technical, financial and legal consultants. They said financial advisor, ABN Amro, had major bidders like Reliance and GMR as its clients.
In a related move, the CPI(M) and RSP in separate letters to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi have alleged large scale irregularities in the modernisation bid, apparent in the selection of only a single bidder for each of the airports. The Left parties pointed out that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture has said in its report that it does not agree with the Civil Aviation Ministry’s contention that resource crunch is the main reason for inviting private sector participation in the modernisation and restructuring of Delhi and Mumbai airports.
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