Centre aggressively pursuing policies of liberalisation: V S Achuthanandan

Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan has said the liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation policies being accelerated by the Manmohan Singh government in its second tenure will adversely affect the people.

Inaugurating the Left Democratic Front (LDF) Kannur Assembly constituency election convention to mark the formal launching of the campaign of the LDF candidate here for the by-election on November 7, the Chief Minister said here on Monday that the country was saved from serious financial crisis as a result of the intervention of the Left parties that supported the first United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. Now, the Manmohan Singh government was implementing the privatisation and globalisation programmes aggressively, he said, adding that the Central government was planning to disinvest up to 49 per cent of government stake in the public sector banks and insurance companies. Also detrimental to the public was the move to divert pension funds into the stock market, he said.

Mr. Achuthanandan said the LDF delegation led by him had urged the Prime Minister to make amendments in the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement before India signed it as the agreement contained various proposals that would adversely affect the State. Though the Prime Minister had promised to do so, he failed to keep the assurance, the Chief Minister said. He said the United Democratic Front (UDF) leaders who had been defending the FTA were not serving the interests of the State.

Assuring that his government would continue its efforts to assign land to the landless people in the State, the Chief Minister said the government was delighted that the Chengara agitation had been settled as 1700-odd families there would be given land soon. Recalling the State government's Munnar operation against land grabbing, he said the government would try to restore encroached lands.

The Chief Minister said the LDF candidate M.V. Jayarajan, who had been MLA during 2001-2006 when he was the Leader of the Opposition, had been in the forefront of various agitations against corruption in and outside the Assembly.

Ministers N.K. Premachandran, Ramachandran Kadannappally and K.P. Rajendran were among those who addressed the convention.

(courtesy : The hindu)