Stop Increase in Prices of Petrol & Diesel

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

 

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly protests the hike in the price of petrol by Rs. 1.50 per litre  and the monthly hike in the price of diesel by 45 paise.

 

Since the deregulation of petrol pricing, there is a constant and steep increase in the price of petrol. In the case of diesel, the price rise will be continuous on a monthly basis.  The government is only adding to its tax revenues by such escalating prices of petroleum products and increasing the profits of the oil companies at the expense of the common people.

 

The CPI(M) demands the cancellation of the price hike and the restoration of the administered price mechanism. To protest against this added burden on the people, the Party calls upon all sections of the people to support and join the general strike called by the Central Trade Unions on February 20 and 21, 2013.

CPIM Parivartan Rally in Rajastan concludes with a huge rally

Parivartan Yatra, organised by the Rajasthan state unit of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) concluded on February 15 at Jaipur (Jaipur’s Udyog Maidan) with a huge rally of more than 1 lakh participants . The month long jatha made its journey through almost all of the districts and gave the message of an emerging thrid front in the leadership of CPIM in the coming Assembly elections. CPIM Central Committee member and MLA Com. Amra Ram was the leader of the jatha. The finale of the jatha was inaugurated by party General Secretary Com. Prakash Karat. 

Com Prakash Karat while inaugurating the rally demanded that the Rs 3,600 crore contract to purchase VVIP choppers be cancelled and the CBI probe into the graft allegations over the deal be put under the Supreme Court’s monitoring. Karat equally blamed the Congress and the BJP for corruption at high-levels, referring to the Centre’s 2010 contract about procuring 12 helicopters for Indian VVIPs from AgustaWestland that hit the headlines early this week over alleged kickbacks in the deal. 

“The CBI is controlled by the PMO through the minister of personnel. So, the CBI investigation over corruption in the helicopter purchase case should be done under SC monitoring, as happened in the 2G spectrum case,” Karat said, addressing thousands of party men here. Urging people to strengthen the third political front comprising the Left parties in upcoming assembly elections in the state and the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the CPM leader targeted the Congress-led UPA government and the previous BJP-led NDA government at the Centre for their economic policies and the resultant inflation and decreasing subsidies for farmers. 

Karat stressed for a strong Lokpal Act, right to food security and the forest rights Act and demanded that these be passed in the forthcoming budget session. “On February 26, we will hand over a memorandum signed by 5 crore people of the country to the PM demanding 35 kg of grains at Rs 2 per kg,” Karat said. Karat also attacked the Congress government in the state and questioned its secular credentials. “There were more than 100 cases of communal violence in Rajasthan in the past four years. Minorities are attacked here,” he reasoned. Speaking to reporters,

Karat later said unlike the 2008 assembly elections the party would be fielding its candidates on more than 35 constituencies in Rajasthan this year. 

 The CPIM leader informed  about the party’s plan to take out a nationwide jatha (Sangarsh Sandhesh Jatha) of its rank and file that would commence on February 24 from the country’s south, north, east and west and culminate in a public rally in Delhi on March 19. “Before this, there will be an a a m-h a r t a l (common strike) on February 21 and February 22 to protest against price rise and privatization,” Karat said. 

CPIM legislator and the leader of the jatha Com Amra Ram too hit out against the Ashok Gehlot government and the previous Vasundhara Raje government for alleged antifarmer policies.