People's Democracy

WINTER SESSION OF PARLIAMENT

Left To Raise These Issues

The Left parties have decided that they will play a constructive role in ensuring the smooth conduct of business during the winter session of the parliament and expects the opposition to be amenable for discussion on all issues which they feel is contentious under the available rules of procedure of the business.

This decision was taken at a meeting held on November 23, 2005 to finalise the issues that will be taken up by the Left during this session, which began the same day. The leaders who attended the meeting included Basudeb Acharia, Nilotpal Basu, Rupchand Pal [all CPI(M)], Gurudas Dasgupta, Sudhakar Reddy and Ajoy Chakraborty, (all CPI), Joachim Baxla and Manoj Bhattacharya (RSP) and Bir Singh Mahato (Forward Block).

The following statement was released after the meeting:

The Left parties will articulate the need for an independent foreign policy position of the government with special focus in West Asia – the ongoing brutalities of the occupation regime in Iraq, the nuclear controversy in Iran, the US intransigence vis-à-vis Syria and the continued tension on the Palestine question. The Left parties will also demand a discussion on the outcome of SAARC summit.

The Left parties also decided to raise the discussion on the emerging military relationship with different countries, including the efficacy of joint exercises with US and certain other countries.

The Left parties decided to facilitate a discussion on the possible Indian position in the impending Ministerial meeting of WTO in Hong Kong. They will also raise the question of falling prices of certain agricultural commodities, including crops. The Left parties will demand a full fledged discussion on the current agrarian crisis following the steep hike in prices of electricity, water, fertilisers and such other inputs and non-availability of timely and adequate agricultural credits. As also, they have stressed the need for urgently bringing legislation for social protection of unorganised workers and agricultural workers. The leaders also asserted the need for discussion on revamping the public distribution system and the question of food security, which is in a state of virtual collapse. The meeting also raised the need for discussing the crisis facing traditional industries, which in the main is a largely labour-intensive sector. Apart from this, they decided to also raise difficulties faced by the Indian labour in course of the ongoing process of gloablisation and economic reforms.

The Left parties also decided to protest against the government decision to raise FDI in Telecom sector to 74 per cent. The parties will also express their dismay and opposition to the corporatisation of currency, security presses and mints.

The Left parties decided to demand immediate placement of women reservation bill in this session of the parliament itself.

The Left parties also reiterated the need for bringing comprehensive legislation ensuring reservation for admission into private professional institutions. They decided to highlight the crass commercialisation and privatisation of higher education, particularly professional education and the need for regulatory mechanism to ensure that access to higher education is not denied to students coming from economically disadvantage families.

The Left leaders considered the imbalances in the present mineral and mining policies of the country which deny the opportunity of setting up industry in different states by denial of appropriate mineral linkages. The Left leaders strongly felt the need for emphasising the current centre-state fiscal imbalances and the need for formulating balanced financial policies to ameliorate the difficult financial situation of the states.

The leaders also strongly demanded of the government to initiate appropriate measures for addressing the acute household fuel shortage in kerosene and LPG. The Left parties also decided to raise the question of restructuring tax and duty structure in relation to petroleum products in the light of fall in international crude prices.

The Left parties would also like to discuss number of railway accidents, particularly in Andhra Pradesh, leading to hundreds of fatalities.