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Communists in India fights for farmers
The Jeft Parties led by CPI(M) and CPI has made enormous progress in their voter bases among the farmers. The grass root campeign will prove its worth during the next election in India when a surprise win by the left will tilt the power.
According media reports from New Delhi, a day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said he was not in favour of providing free power, ruling UPA ally CPI(M) today struck a note of dissent, saying the facility should be extended to needy farmers.
"Free power should be made available to needy farmers," CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat, told reporters here. Asserting that the need of the hour was to do gradation so that poor agriculturists could get free electricity, he said "the States already providing free power to farmers should not stop it immediately."
He, however, said his party was not in favour of giving free power to farmers in States which have not extended such a facility so far. Seeking review of the Electricity Act of 2003, Karat said privatisation of power would burden the farmers. "The Congress Government will not be able to give free power to farmers if the Electricty Act of 2003 is implemented," he said.
The Act was promoting privatisation, he added. Concerned over electricity shortage in the country, Singh had yesterday said he was not in favour of providing free power as it could be a hindrance in additional electricity generation. "Giving free power will not help in self-sufficiency in power generation and it could be an obstacle in additional power generation," the Prime Minister said while dedicating the 1500 MW Nathpa Jhakri hydel power project to the nation.
Expressing unhappiness over the performance of the Congress-led UPA Government, he said it was expected that the promises made in the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) would be fulfilled by the Centre. He warned that political support by the people will be eroded if promises made in the CMP was not implemented at the earliest. "One year had passed and now the CPI(M) will concentrate on movement and agitations," he added.
Taking a dig at the UPA Government for allegedly failing to take "good steps" on the foreign policy front, he said the Centre must take up the Kashmir issue with Pakistan on a priority basis. "On the Kashmir issue, the process of political dialogue needs to be revived," he said, adding some solution needs to be found to resolve the Siachen issue at the earliest.
Criticising the delay in passage of important legislations, he said the Employment Guarantee Bill should become a law and the Women Reservation Bill should be tabled in Parliament immediately. The CPI(M) was also opposed to the Government's decision to divest shares of big public sector companies to meet deficit in the Union Budget, he said. "If the Government does not reconsider selling shares of big companies, we will go to the people, if need be," he said.
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