Addressing two separate campaign meetings in Purulia district of West Bengal, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat reiterated that the Congress and the BJP are two sides of the same coin in matters of economic policies and corruption. The policies that they both stand for are decidedly anti-poor. We need an alternative government at the Centre that can pursue alternative policies.
The TMC is equally responsible for anti-people policies pursued so far as they have shared ministerial berths in both the UPA and NDA regimes. While Mamata Banerjee had supported and defended such policies the Left has consistently exposed to the people at large the ramifications of such policies for the country.
Left MPs in the Parliament spoke in favour of universalization of the Public Distribution System; demanded an end to the bracketing of the poor under APL and BPL. Under the UPA II rule, the price of petrol rose 28 times and diesel 18 times, hiking prices of food and esential commodities. Mamata Banerjee led TMC didn’t have a moral problem in supporting the anti people UPA II government for almost two and half years. Just before elections the Chief Minister is trying to take moral high ground by denouncing both the Congress and the BJP. Is it not an election stunt, asked Brinda Karat.
Brinda Karat also raised the question as to why Mamata is silent on the closing down of hostels for the Adivasi students in different districts of the state which has jeopardized the education of a large section of marginalised students. She remarked that under the TMC, a corrupt regime is at work. In Mamata’s model of development the meritorious students are not getting jobs even after clearing the Primary TET (Teachers’ Eligibility Test). The TMC leaders are distributing the jobs among their kin. In the name of chit fund companies, the savings of the poor are being looted. Karat said that if there is a fair CBI trial, the TMC leaders and ministers are bound to be found involved in the ponzi scam. The fear of this is making Mamata desperate to move to the centre and push the CBI and ED investigations under the carpet.
May 5, 2014