Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front had to sit in the Opposition bench as it failed to effectively exploit the upper hand it had in the election poll campaign, opined the Leader of Opposition, V.S. Achuthanandan.
Mr Achuthanandan was inaugurating the delegates’ session at the CPI(M) district held at M.K. Pandhe Nagar (St Stephen’s Cathedral auditorium) here on Monday.
Though the United Democratic Front had strengthened its position by accommodating the Socialist Janata Dal led by M.P. Veerendrakumar and the Indian National League, there was no anti-incumbency factor against the LDF in the poll campaign, he said.
Mr Achuthanandan claimed that there was an LDF wave in the previous Assembly poll campaign.
However, the UDF had countered the LDF poll campaign by propping up the `P. Sasi issue’, he added.
Mr Achuthanandan said the UDF could get only a wafer thin majority in the Assembly polls even though it had received active support from various communal forces, private college managements, etc. ``People sans good character should not be permitted to continue in the party.
Anybody could become a party member was not at all desirable trend,’’ he added.
The CPI(M) leader said the party should take a lead role in various popular agitations and there should not be any compromise with land issues, atrocities against women and corruption.
Economic crisis
Mr Achuthanandan said the global economic crisis was worsening and the common man’s purchasing capacity too was declining day by day.
Banks are becoming bankrupt, people have already came out to the streets in countries like Britain and France. Protest against the US imperialism was on the rise across the globe, he said.
He said the claims of economic growth raised by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh might be only in the case of the rich, leaving the poor common masses sad victims of the UPA Government’s anti-people economic policies.
The daily income of nearly 93 crore people in India has been reportedly assessed at mere Rs 20. Privatisation of pension scheme and the insurance sector was under consideration of the Parliament and this would be detrimental to the interests of the common people, he alleged.
According to Mr Achuthanandan, the CPI(M) backs social activist, Anna Hazare, in his campaign for a strong Lok Pal Bill. A judicial Commission along with the Lok Pal Bill as envisaged by Mr Hazare should come together to effectively check corruption, he added.
The CPI(M) leader alleged that the Manmohan Singh Government was trying to make India yet another US base camp.
In West Bengal, Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee was in collusion and tie-up with the Maoists which would ultimately destroy the democratic system itself, he alleged.
CPI(M) leaders, Pinarayi Vijayan, T,M. Thomas Issac, Vaikom Viswan, P.K. Gurudasan, M.A. Baby, M.C. Josephine, Anathalavattom Anandan, Raju Abraham, R. Unnikrishna Pillai, K. Ananthagopan, K.C. Rajagopalan, R. Sanalkumar, T.K.G. Nair, K. Padmakumar and A.P. Udayabhanu, were also present at the dias.
The party district meet will come to a close on Wednesday.
Published - December 19, 2011 06:04 pm IST
