CPI(M) blames Cong economic policies for inflation

New Delhi, March 16

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) released its Lok Sabha election manifesto on Monday, reiterating its commitment to strive for the formation of a non-Congress, non- Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) secular alternative. The manifesto said that both the Congress and the BJP have failed the interests of the country and the aspirations of the people. It emphasised that the country requires pro-people economic policies, guaranteed social justice and equity, consistent secularism, genuine federalism and an independent foreign policy.

Speaking at the press conference to release the manifesto, at the CPI(M) headquarters in Delhi , party General Secretary, Mr Prakash Karat, said that during the past five years the Manmohan Singh-led Congress coalition government had pursued policies that were nakedly pro-rich and intensified the divide between the rich and the common masses, while the principal opposition BJP had confined itself to raising various issues, including that of terrorism, from the standpoint of Hindutva communalism. Mr Karat held that the economic policies of the Manmohan Singh government were primarily responsible for inflation and price rise.

The manifesto advanced this theme further and emphasised that the Congress-led government had let down the mandate of the 2004 Lok Sabha elections by pursuing policies of liberalisation and privatisation, which stand discredited in the backdrop of the current global economic crisis. In a reference to foreign policy, the manifesto criticised the Congress thus: “A party which sees the future of India tied to the coat-tails of the United States does not deserve to run the government of our sovereign democratic republic.” It also pointed out that the earlier BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) had been no different and it also had promoted the same policies. The manifesto described the BJP as “the most reactionary force in the country”, which is “marked by pro-rich and communal policies.”

In two parts


The manifesto is divided into two parts. Part One analyses the overall political situation specifically addressing the policies and the track record of the Congress-led government, the policies and political practice of the BJP as well as the role played by the Left parties. Part Two delineates the proposed CPI(M) platform that would promote alternative policies and a non-Congress , non-BJP political formation. According to the analysis of the track record of the Government, wavering policies intensified agrarian crisis, curtailed the rights of workers, failed to check the rise of incidents of communal violence, and favoured big corporates by granting them tax benefits and allowing them to grab large tracts of land in the name of industrial promotion.

The role played by the Left vis-À-vis the Congress-led government is described as one of a sentinel in the interests of the people. The manifesto said that the Left’s interventions led to the protection of public sector industries and helped the country’s banking sector from being exposed to the ravages of the global economic collapse. “Our consistent opposition to the introduction of FDI in the banking sector was what protected Indian banks,” Mr Karat said.

The CPI(M) leadership hoped its campaign on the basis of the issues raised in the manifesto would be effective in the Lok Sabha polls. Mr Karat’s response to the Congress leader, Mr Pranab Mukherjee, who had said that he didn’t know about the Third Front summed up this confidence: “Mr Pranab Mukherjee says he doesn’t know what this Third Front is. After the elections he will know what it is.”