People's Democracy

Pressurise UPA Govt To Tackle People’s Problems: Yechury

THE Congress-led union government must be relentlessly pressurised towards tackling and resolving fundamental problems affecting the people.  The secular and democratic forces including the intellectuals must remain united on this issue.  This was how CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, Sitaram Yechury summed up his arguments at the seminar organised in Kolkata on December 29 entitled ‘Needs and Resources: Education, Health, and Employment.’

Yechury said that the Lok Sabha elections this year brought sharply into focus new possibilities and new accountabilities.  During the BJP regime, said the CPI(M) leader, such imponderables as whether Ghulam Ali would be allowed to perform in India, whether Maqbool Fida Hussein could have his paintings exhibited, and whether the Pakistan cricket team would be allowed to play in India confronted the nation.  Things have changed since then, and no delay should be made in taking full advantage of the changes in the scenario.

Yechury said that the people’s verdict of the Lok Sabha elections had demonstrably focussed attention to the fact that the programme of economic reforms must be undertaken looking towards the masses and not the business houses to help in their reaping profits. There are interests that do not like the Common Minimum Programme to be successfully implemented.  To thwart such attempts, said Yechury, a concerted endeavour must be made to build up a strong popular opinion.

Also addressing the seminar were Nobel laureate and economist, Amartya Sen, Bengal Left Front government’s finance minister, Dr Asim Dasgupta, economist Jean Dreze, and actor and social activist Shabana Azmi.