CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday announced countrywide protests on June 16 demanding immediate cash transfers and free foodgrains to the poor.
According to the reports, the Communist leader Sitaram Yechury, who is fighting for his party’s relevance in country’s politics, claimed that the Narendra Modi government was using the coronavirus pandemic as an excuse to replace the secular democratic and federal structure of the country with a unitary form of theocratic government.
Yechury also claimed that the Modi government has now virtually left the people of the country to protect themselves in combat against the pandemic.
The Left leader addressed media through Facebook Live to brief them about the decisions taken by the politburo of the party. It was reportedly the first politburo meeting of the party since March.
In the meeting, the CPI(M) decided to hold pan-India protests demanding cash transfer of Rs 7,500 per month to families outside the income tax-paying bracket, minimum 200-days employment under MNREGA, free distribution of 10 kg foodgrains, per individual, per month for a period of six months and a check on scrapping of labour laws.
However, how are they planning to hold pan-India protests amid the restrictions against public gatherings and which parties will be in their support was not clarified.
CPI(M) targets Modi government over handling of coronavirus pandemic
The CPI(M) also claimed that the Modi government has left the Indian people to ‘fend for themselves’ in the pandemic. It also repeated Rahul Gandhi’s claims where he had stated that the central government is promoting federalism and is not taking the sates into consideration.
Yechury said the union government was abdicating its responsibilities and shifting the accountability to the state governments by easing of restrictions in “an unplanned fashion”.
The Communist Party also condemned the alleged targeting of the Muslims, the arrests and detention of those rioters who had unleashed violence against Hindus in the anti-Hindu riots in the national capital.
Interestingly, some of the demands made by the CPI(M) including changes in MGNREGA, distribution of subsidised food grains are already being fulfilled by the Modi government under the Atmanirbhar Abhiyan package.
