CPI(M) to launch stir for rice at Rs. 2/kg in Karnataka

Demanding rice at Rs. 2 a kg as promised in the election manifesto of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) will stage an indefinite dharna in front of the Vidhana Soudha from April 22, CPI(M) State secretariat member Maruti Manpade has said.

Addressing presspersons here on Saturday, he accused the State Government of failing to keep the promise made during the last Assembly elections. He said that essential commodities, such as rice, in the State were among the most expensive in the country.

Over one lakh people expected to participate in the ‘Vidhana Soudha Chalo' agitation

Manpade slams Chief Minister for ‘anti-farmer' budget

“Kerala offers rice at Rs. 12 a kg, West Bengal at Rs. 23 a kg and Maharashtra at Rs. 25 a kg, but rice in the State is sold at Rs. 42 a kg,” he said.

Mr. Manpade claimed that over one lakh people were expected to participate in the “Vidhana Soudha Chalo” agitation aimed at pressuring the Government to fulfil its promise.

With regard to the Government's proposal to ban cow slaughter, Mr. Manpade said that the move was intended to slaughter the food habits of minorities and backward communities. “In the name of protecting cows, the Government is trying to curb the consumption of beef, which is a staple diet of millions of people.” He alleged that the Government had not consulted experts of the Department of Animal Husbandry before going ahead with the move.

Mr. Manpade cautioned the Government that if cows were not slaughtered for meat, it would lead to an acute shortage of fodder.

He termed the State Budget “anti-farmer” and said that Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa had not made an attempt to enhance growth in the agricultural sector, which was on the decline. The economic growth of the State was only 5.5 per cent, while agricultural growth was barely 0.1 per cent, he said. The per capita income of the State was Rs. 32,411, but the per capita income of farmers was just Rs. 14,690.

“The Government has not announced any schemes to bridge this gap,” he said.

He accused the Government of encouraging the activities of the land mafia through the land bank scheme, which aims at acquiring around 2 lakh acres land in the State for “development works”.

CPIM Candidates for Rajyasabha From Kerala

The Kerala State committee of CPI(M) has decided to field former DYFI  All India president K.N. Balagopal and All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA)Kerala State president T.N. Seema in the Rajya Sabha elections.

Both are members of the party State committee, Mr. Balagopal is currently political secretary to Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan. He had also served as national president of the Students Federation of India (SFI).

Ms. Seema had given up her teaching career to become fully active in politics. She was a member of the team of leaders who were part of the ‘Nava Kerala Yatra' led by CPI(M) State secretary Pinarayi Vijayan. She is currently working as state president of AIDWA.

The biennial elections to the three Rajya Sabha seats from Kerala are slated to be held on March 26.

The last date for filing nominations for the elections is March 16.The scrutiny of nominations would take place the same day and the last date for withdrawal of nominations is March 19. 

Jail Bharo on April 8

Left parties announced that on 8^th April, in all districts headquarters there will be mass picketing and court arrest programmes outside Central Government offices. 25 lakh people will participate in this programme to demand immediate steps to curb price rise and for strengthening the public distribution system, implementation of land reforms and employment opportunities.

Left Parties Call: 8^th April – Jail Bharo

Over one lakh people participated in the March to Parliament and the Left Parties rally on March 12 against price rice, for land rights, employment and against the violence on the Left in West Bengal.

At the conclusion of the rally, the Left parties announced that on 8^th April, in all districts headquarters there will be mass picketing and court arrest programmes outside Central Government offices. 25 lakh people will participate in this programme to demand immediate steps to curb price rise and for strengthening the public distribution system, implementation of land reforms and employment opportunities.

The rally was addressed by Prakash Karat, A.B. Bardhan, Debabrata Biswas and T J Chandrachoodan – General Secretaries of the CPI(M), CPI, AIFB and RSP. The other speakers were Biman Bose, Chairman of the West Bengal Left Front, Sitaram Yechury and Gurudas Dasgupta.

Scrap Nuclear Liability Bill

The Left parties, The Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India, Revolutionary Socialist Party and All India Forward Bloc, have issued the following statement:

The Manmohan Singh Government is introducing a Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages Bill in the Lok Sabha. This is a harmful piece of legislation meant to serve the interests of the United States and its nuclear industry. This is also an outcome of the Indo-US nuclear deal.The Government is seeking to fulfill a hidden commitment to deliver a legislation which safeguards the interests of the United States at the expense of the safety of the Indian people.

The Nuclear Liability Bill needs to be scrapped because:

1. The Bill is illegal and unconstitutional as it ignores the judgements of the Supreme Court of the "polluter pays principle".It compromises the right of a citizen to go to court for claiming adequate compensation.

2. It is a blatant attempt to protect US suppliers of nuclear reactors from claims of liability and compensation. Even if there is a manufacturing defect which causes a nuclear accident that can affect the lives of lakhs of people, there is no liability for the supplier.The clauses of the bill are so devised as to practically make it impossible to assign liability to the supplier.

3. All the liability falls upon the operator in India, which is the Nuclear Power Corporation of India. The operators liability is fixed at Rs. 500 crores while the overall liability is capped at around Rs.2200 crores. This means the Government will have to foot the bill for the rest of the amount. Since the NPCL is a public sector enterprise, the whole bill is to be footed by the Indian tax payer while the US supplier goes scot free.

4. The limiting of liability at around Rs. 2200 crore is totally uncalled for. In the Bhopal gas accident, the total compensation paid out by Union Carbide was just $ 470 million (Rs. 2152 crore). For a nuclear accident, which will involve loss of many more lives and grievous long term health consequences for many more, this is a serious attack on the rights of Indian citizens.

The Left parties strongly oppose the introduction of this Bill in Parliament. They appeal to all parties to reject this Bill which is detrimental to the interests of the Indian people.