CPM releases election manifesto; hopeful of non Congress, BJP govt

 

New Delhi: The Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPM, which made an unsuccessful attempt to bring together non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), non-Congress parties on a single platform, failed to offer anything new in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha election, but reiterated that the “country needs to be rescued from the politics and the policies of the Congress and the BJP”.

The manifesto, released on Thursday, urged the electorate to reject the Congress and defeat the BJP, saying that strengthening the Left parties would bolster “the secular, democratic foundations” and pro-people alternative policies.

The CPM, which has been opposing the neo-liberal economic policies of the Congress, has proposed a number of steps for containing price rise, including reversing the deregulation of petroleum product prices and reducing excise and customs duties on them.

Banning futures trade in agricultural commodities, enlarging the resource base by taxing the rich, corporate profits, cracking down on black money and money laundering as well as increasing public investments in agricultural production are the other proposals made in the manifesto. The CPM also launched its election website with details on its campaign, contestants, and issues it is highlighting.

The party manifesto was released at the party headquarters in the Capital by CPM general secretary Prakash Karat and senior politburo members, including Sitaram Yechury, Brinda Karat and A.K. Padmanabhan.

Prakash Karat said the main political parties were neglecting key issues related to the electorate. “In this 16th Lok Sabha elections, it has become clear that the elections are sought to be made a battle between certain leaders and parties and diverting it from issues and policies which affect the people,” he told the media.

The CPM, which has had repeated electoral failures since 2009, has not succeeded in joining hands with any regional parties for a formal seat sharing. It will field around 100 candidates, the highest in its parliamentary history, in the April-May election, Karat said.

To increase its current tally of 16 in the outgoing Lok Sabha, the party is pinning hopes on its key states West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura, which together send 64 members to the lower house of Parliament.

The CPM’s best performance was in the 2004 election, when it won 44 seats on its own. The CPM-led Left parties had extended issue-based support to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government from 2004 to 2008.

Among its major proposals, the CPM suggested constitutional amendments to make a state’s consent mandatory for any bifurcation of its area; a repeal of the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act; decriminalization of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code that deals with adult consensual relationships; and abolishment of the death penalty.

The CPM has been emphasizing on alternative policies as the way forward against issues such as corruption, price rise and unemployment. The party’s manifesto promises a new food security law that would provide for a universal public distribution system excluding only income-tax payees, the enactment of a legislation for employment guarantee in all urban areas, and a sub plan for Muslim minorities.

For resource mobilization, it proposed restoring long-term capital gains tax and increasing securities transaction tax and plugging the Mauritius route for channelling investments by reviewing the double taxation avoidance agreement.

onika jaiswal pgdm 1st year
source ;- live mint