CPM mulls moving cut motions in LS

To demand restoration of ` 60k-cr subsidies New Delhi (PTI): CPM is examining moving cut motions in Lok Sabha to demand restoration of over Rs 60,000 crore subsidies on fuel, food and fertilisers, withdrawn in the latest Budget proposals, party leaders said on Thursday. "We will demand that the subsidies on three 'Fs' -- fuel, food and fertilisers, be restored. Cut motions have to be moved against specific demands. We are examining all options, including moving cut motions, to amend these budget proposals," CPM leaders Sitaram Yechury and Basudeb Acharia told reporters here. They said the demand was being raised as fuel prices were rising almost every fortnight, leading to hikes in the prices of food and other essential commodities. Withdrawal of subsidies, including over Rs 30,000 crore on fuel alone, would impose a further hefty burden on the people, Yechury said, adding that the cut motions would have to be moved in Lok Sabha. On the Land Acquisition Bill, Acharia said the government has recently circulated over 180 amendments on the Bill, most of which have not been recommended by the Standing Committee. "This makes it a fit case for referring the legislation to the Standing Committee or the Select Committee, which can study these amendments and submit a report to the House in the ongoing budget session itself after the break," Acharia said. Yechury said the Bill needed to be either redrafted or substantial number of amendments would have to be moved. Regarding the CAG report on farm debt waiver scheme, Yechury said, "The government will be made to commit to Parliament" that a proper time-bound investigation by CBI should be carried out under the supervision of the judiciary.