The CPI’s all-India party congress, beginning in Patna on March 27, would debate the prevailing situation in the country and try to evolve an alternative policy for the benefit of people looking for political change, party national secretary D. Raja said on Sunday. The five-day congress would also discuss the failure of the UPA in controlling inflation resulting in price rise, he told reporters here.
Despite suffering the recent electoral reverses in states, where it ruled, the Left parties are still a force to reckon with and have the capability to intervene and change the course of political situation in India, Mr Raja said. Charging the UPA at the Centre with failure on all fronts, be it social, agricultural or economic, he said it was not justified on part of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to observe that the hike in petrol prices was driven by market forces.
“If everything was left to the market forces, why should Singh sit there as Prime Minister and Pranab Mukherjee as finance minister,” he asked and flayed oil market companies for their remarks on lowering prices if government wanted them to do so.
There is need for a mid-term review of the policies being pursued by the government and also mid-course correction, Mr Raja said alleging that the economic crisis had resulted from the soft corner shown towards big corporate houses. The government had no political will to tackle corruption and also flush out black money, parked both in the country and abroad, he said, adding, since both the Congress and BJP followed similar policies, there was an urgent need for an alternative policy to save the country. The Left parties will raise issues like 2G spectrum scam, black money, corruption and also passage of a strong Lokpal Bill during the winter session of Parliament beginning November 22, he said.
Why was the government hesitating to go into the details and hold an inquiry into the role of P. Chidambaram, the then finance minister, in the 2G scam, he asked. There was also a need for electoral reforms by bringing in issues like proportionate representation, state funding for polls and setting up of a National Judicial Commission, particularly for appointment judges in various courts, he said.