The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) met online today. It has issued the following statement:
Unabated Covid Upsurge
The upsurge of the pandemic continues to take a heavy toll of human life all across the country. The Polit Bureau expresses its grief at these avoidable deaths and conveys condolences to the families of all those who have lost their lives.
Despite all appeals, the Central Government has failed to ensure the flow of oxygen to save human lives. The Polit Bureau reiterates the demand that flow of oxygen to all hospitals, health centres and those in home care who require must be ensured in an uninterrupted manner.
Immediately launch a mass free vaccination programme across the country. Vaccines must be urgently procured from all available sources internationally and domestically. All public sector vaccine production facilities must be utilized for vaccine production. The budgetary allocation of Rs. 35,000 crores for vaccine programme must be immediately spent to launch such a vaccination programme aggressively across the country.
Livelihood Issues: Due to the ongoing disruption caused by the pandemic and lockdowns in many parts of the country, lakhs of people have lost their jobs. The central government has the authority to give a direction for the protection of jobs during this period. The Polit Bureau demands that it must exercise this authority to protect people’s livelihoods.
It is essential that a direct cash transfer of Rs. 7500/- per month be made to all families outside the income tax bracket. This must begin immediately.
Foodgrains: Crores of tonnes of food grains are rotting in the central godowns. These must be distributed free to all the needy.
Stop Construction of Central Vista
It is obnoxious that the central government continues to go ahead with the central vista project spending thousands of crores of rupees at a time of such human health tragedy. This should be stopped immediately and the money transferred to provide oxygen, vaccines and other health facilities for the people.
Assembly Elections
The results of the assembly elections in the four major states of Kerala, Tamilnadu, West Bengal and Assam are a severe setback for the BJP. Despite all its efforts to sharpen communal polarization, spending huge amounts of money, aggressively misusing the central agencies and manipulating the electoral apparatus, the BJP failed to receive people’s support and has been decisively defeated.
These results must further strengthen people’s movement and struggles in the country to safeguard the secular democratic character of the Indian republic and for vastly improving the living conditions of our people.
Kerala: The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) hails the resounding victory of the Left Democratic Front in Kerala. It thanks the people of Kerala for once again reposing faith in the LDF and relelecting it to form the next government. This has happened after more than four decades that the incumbent government has been reelected. The LDF’s results are better than in the last assembly elections.
The people of Kerala have voted on the performance of the incumbent government, the alternative policies pursued, the manner in which all the natural calamities were tackled, the pandemic and its fall out were handled, welfare measures undertaken and safeguarding the secular democratic harmonious character of Kerala society.
West Bengal: The BJP suffered a severe setback despite its money power and manipulations in West Bengal. The people of Bengal have very clearly rejected the ideology of communal polarisation.
The performance of the CPI(M) and the Left has been very disappointing. Peoples urge to defeat the BJP led to a sharp polarisation between BJP and TMC, squeezing out the Sanjukta Morcha. A serious self-critical review of these results will be undertaken by the Party to draw lessons.
Tamilnadu: The DMK-led front in Tamilnadu has secured an impressive victory. The people of Tamilnadu have rejected the AIADMK-BJP alliance and defeated the incumbent AIADMK government.
Assam: It is only in Assam that the BJP has managed to retain its government. In terms of vote share, the difference between the BJP alliance and the mahajot is small.
Post Poll Violence
The Polit Bureau strongly condemns the violence indulged in by the Trinamool Congress after the election results were announced against our members and supporters. Such attacks continue to grow and they have already claimed lives of one Party comrade Kakoli Khetrapal and Hasanuzzaman of the ISF. The Polit Bureau calls upon the Trinamool Congress to immediately end such politics of terror and violence. This will be resisted and rebuffed.
In Tripura, it is the BJP that has unleashed vicious attacks against the CPI(M) and its supporters after the elections to the Autonomous District Council, which the BJP lost recently.
Kisan Agitation
With the Covid upsurge continuing to intensify, it is high time that the central government accepts the demands of the kisans who have been on struggle for nearly six months.
The central government must immediately call the leaders of the struggling kisans for talks and concede their demand for repealing the agri laws.