The CPI(M) held a nationwide protest on Tuesday, raising four key demands — immediate cash transfer, free distribution of food, enhanced scope of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme and a halt to dilution of labour laws.
Speaking to reporters at the party headquarters during the protest, party general secretary Sitaram Yechury said more than 15 crore people had lost their jobs during the extended lockdown and many were going hungry.
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“We can’t have hunger deaths and a self-reliant India at the same time,” Mr Yechury said, referring to the Prime Minister’s call for an Atmanirbhar India.
Stating that the Food Corporation of India godowns have more than 80 million tonnes of foodgrains, he asked why this could not be distributed to the poor.
“You talk of a self-reliant India but what are you doing? You're selling your family silver to meet your expenditures, you're privatising all public sector firms, you are scraping the labour laws. This doesn't make India self-reliant. We are in fact ‘self-subverting’ our economy,” Mr Yechury said.
The CPI (M) is demanding a widening of scope of MNREGA from the present guarantee of 100 days job to 200 days and also an increase in wages. “And this must be extended to the urban areas too,” Mr Yechury said.
He also slammed the government for increasing fuel prices. “When people don’t have food to eat, instead of giving them resources, the government is increasing its taxes in order to gather more revenue. It is criminal the way the petroleum prices and diesel prices are going,” he added.
He said an unplanned lockdown and equally unplanned way the restrictions were lifted has resulted in community transmission in metro cities which is very dangerous.
“Instead of single mindedly focusing on fighting the pandemic, the government is pursuing its own agenda. Even now they are trying to buy MLAs to get one more seat in Rajya Sabha. This is the real character of this government,” he said.