No truck with regional parties: Karat

​Vijayawada: CPM will remain equidistance from TDP and TRS and will not align with any regional party during the next elections. Addressing media on Thursday, CPM former general secretary and politburo member Prakash Karat, who is here to address the two-day party state council meeting, said the party had decided to protect its independent identity and align only with the Left forces.

Karat said that the NDA government had failed to deliver its two major poll promises of creating two crore jobs every year and keeping the prices of essential commodities under control. He said that the government had not taken steps to fill 7.47 lakh vacancies in the last two years, leave alone creating new employment opportunities.

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"NDA government has failed to deliver on its two major poll promises of creating two crore jobs every year and keeping the prices of essential commodities under control”

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Every year 1.2 crore youth pass out from colleges and universities in the country, he said and regretted that not a single job was given to them in the last two years. Stating that the crude oil prices in the world have come down, he alleged that the NDA government had not passed on the benefit to the people.

The prices of petrol and diesel were increased eight times in the last two years; he said and demanded that the government withdraw excise duty on petroleum products. He also blamed the government for its failure to streamline Public Distribution System.

Karat said that the CPM would launch a week-long campaign across the country from July 11 to 17 exposing the failures of the NDA government. The party would meet people and explain to them the failures of the Modi government.

The CPM leader alleged that the NDA government was trying to instigate communal politics, particularly with an eye on Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections due in early next year. The BJP was spreading false reports on the conversions and beef consumption in the country, he alleged.

He said that the CPM and other secular forces across the country would disprove this false campaign and expose the BJP. On the party’s performance in the recent Assembly elections in four states and Union Territory of Puducherry, the CPM leader said that the party’s performance had come down because of its decision to contest the elections without an alliance with the regional parties.

When asked about the NDA government opening gates for FDI, Karat said that the decision to allow FDI in sectors like pharmaceuticals and food marketing would badly hit the Indian market. He wanted the government to withdraw FDI in these sectors.

Referring to the FDI in defence sector, the CPM leader said that no weapon manufacturer would set up industry in the country even if the FDI was allowed. He wanted India to develop its own weapons and demanded that the government relook into FDI factor in defence and promote indigenous technology for weapon manufacturing.

CPM state secretariat member Y Venkateswara Rao was also present at the press conference. The huge reshuffle of the Cabinet the other day was an open admission of the ruling NDA failure in the last two years, he said.

Referring to the price rise, the CPM leader recalled that the BJP leadership had promised to keep the prices under control. However, the government had failed and remained a mute spectator in the last two years as the prices of food products and other essential commodities had gone up several times, he added.