REVERSE DEREGULATION OF FUEL PRICES
The Congress led UPA II
Government has totally failed to contain inflation and to control the prices. Despite Parliament passing resolutions urging
the government to take adequate measures to contain inflation which continues
to have adverse impact on common people, the government has not acted
reasonably. On the other hand, the
government has gone ahead with deregulation of fuel prices and allowed oil
marketing companies to go for hiking the price of Petrol and Petroleum products
thirteen times in thirty months which led to cascading effect on prices. The
recent hike in the price of petrol was done at a time food inflation continued
to be high. The government is under
severe criticism for its insensitivity to the suffering of the common
people. In spite of Prime Minister talking
tough on decontrol and deregulation and the role of market, the government had
to announce roll back of petrol prices.
Government has done this roll back saying that international prices have
come down. This is an indication that
prices can be increased at any time in future.
The National
Executive of the Communist Party of India, therefore, demands that government
must reverse deregulation and decontrol of fuel prices in the interests of
common people.
PENSION FUND REGULATORY & DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
The National
Executive of the Communist Party of India strongly condemns the recent decision
of the Government to enact Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority
Bill. The Bill if passed will deprive
millions of government employees both in Centre as well as in States and in
autonomous bodies of their right to Pension after superannuation. These categories of the employees had been
enjoying this right since long times.
Even the Supreme Court of India has in a judgement laid down that
pension is not bounty or grace.
According to Court, it is a right.
The employees fear if Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority
Bill is enacted, the government may deny pension even to existing employees in
due course. The Central Government
Employees Trade Unions and other Central Trade Unions have therefore expressed
their strong opposition to this measure and demanded that the Bill be dropped.
What is worse, the Government of
India has completely acted contrary to the recommendations of the Parliamentary
Standing Committee of Ministry of Finance.
The proposed Bill has provision for putting pension funds in stock
market thereby undermining the safety of these funds. It is unethical and most deplorable attempt
on the part of the government to divert public funds for private profits. It is also deplorable that government has
decided to invite 26 per cent FDI in Pension Scheme.
The Communist
Party of India strongly opposes the move of the Government to enact this Bill
and to divert Pension Funds to stock market as it will be against the interests
of the workers and it will mobilize other democratic forces in the country in
order to defeat the government moves.
FDI IN MULTI-BRAND RETAIL TRADE
The National
Executive of the Communist Party of India vehemently condemns the UPA-II
government’s decision to allow FDI in Multi-brand Retail Trade. Already government has allowed entry of giant
retail MNCs, now it is opening it fully.
This will ruin the lives of millions of retail traders and people
engaged in the trade. They will be
deprived of their livelihood.
Besides, entry
of MNCs in the retail trade will have very disastrous impact on our economy as
a whole, particularly on inflation as MNCs will enjoy monopoly on retail trade.
The decision has
come in the wake of new spree of so-called “economic reforms” that is nothing
but selling the house silver to subsidise the corporate sector and undermine
our economic sovereignty to international finance capital.
The National
Executive of the Communist Party of India demands roll-back of the decision and
protect millions of Retail Traders.
SC SUB PLAN AND TRIBAL SUB PLAN
The National
Executive of the Communist Party of India expresses its serious concern at the
non-implementation of SC Sub Plan and Tribal Sub Plan by the Union and State
Governments in accordance with the guidelines of the Planning Commission. Union Government exempts several ministries
from earmarking funds for SC/ST Sub Plans.
State Governments do not earmark the required funds to these sub
plans. These funds are
non-lapsable. But in several states,
these funds are diverted for other purposes, as the Delhi Government diverted
these funds for Commonwealth games.
The National
Executive of the Communist Party of India, therefore demands that Union and
State governments to earmark funds for SC/ST Sub Plans and implement the
schemes for the welfare of SC and ST people who are fighting for their rights
and due share in the wealth created in the nation.
ON SYRIA
The National Executive of the Communist Party of India discussed the
present political developments in Arab region particularly situation in Syria
which is facing serious threats from all quarters of religious fundamentalists,
reactionary Arab regimes and from US imperialists and its allies the NATO.
Surrounded the hostile neighbours such as Turkey in the north, Israel in
the West, Jordon in the South and the US and NATO forces in Iraq in the east,
Syria is facing challenges from inside
and outside forces who want to implement their policy of “Regime Change”. The
present developments prove that the US and NATO are poised now to shift focus
from Arab North Africa to the Arab Levant to deal with the last obstacle Syria
to their regional hegemony.
The protests which started few months before for securing more democratic
rights and for political reforms was hijacked by the forces of fundamentalists
equipped with lethal weapons supplied by the neighbouring countries to escalate
violence. It is reported that the Syria approved series of new steps towards
political reforms and offered negotiations with the opposition but there was no
response. Use of army for a solution to the present problem isolated the Syrian
regime and gave opportunity to the Arab League to expel Syria as a pretext. The
aim of US and NATO is to repeat the same strategy that was used in Libya and if
successful then to follow it up against Iran as part of policy re-invent the region along
the lines of the ‘New Middle East’.
The National Executive of CPI condemns the decision of the Arab League
for o creating condition for external interference in the internal affairs of
Syria by violating its own Charter. The CPI expresses grave concern on the
present disturbance in Syria which jeopardizes the stability of the whole
region.
The National
Executive of CPI calls upon the present Syrian government to avoid military
solution of the present problem. They should take appropriate measures by
releasing political prisoners, initiate dialogue with the democratic forces in
the opposition, take further steps towards radical democratic changes to meet
the aspirations of the people and mobilize the common people to isolate religious
fundamentalist forces engaged in sectarian violence aiming at to destroy the
secular fabric of the their society and working for imperialist intervention in
Syria.
The National Executive of CPI calls upon the
people of India to stand firmly with the people of Syria in their difficult
hours and to expose US imperialists and their allies’ plan who are preparing
for intervention in Syria to destabilize the entire Middle East and other
areas.
संदेश
