By IANS,
Kolkata : Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat Friday expressed surprise over the Congress-led central government and the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) voting together in the Lok Sabha on the price rise resolution.
“There was a peculiar situation in the Lok Sabha where the government and the main opposition voted together on a resolution on price rise. We were very surprised because the BJP was protesting against the government’s failure to curb price rise. And then they suddenly get together and pass a resolution. Only the Left parties and some secular parties said no, we don’t agree with this draft,” said Karat.
The Lok Sabha Thursday passed a motion moved by the opposition with government consent that expressed concern over price rise. But an amendment moved by the Left parties seeking to censure the government over high inflation was defeated in a division.
Karat blamed the government’s taxation policy and forward trading as a reason behind the price rise of essentials.
“The government’s policies are contributing to price rise. You are having a wrong policy. You have a taxation policy. You have to change this. They are refusing to stop forward trading. These things are contributing to price rise,” said Karat while addressing a party programme here.
Calling the central government an institutionalised regime of corruption, Karat lambasted it for “failing” to take steps on the black money issue.
“This UPA government is an institutionalised regime of corruption. Steps should be taken to curb black money but what is the record of this government? Recently the Supreme Court has practically censured this government. The Supreme Court had to appoint a special investigation team headed by a retired judge of the Supreme Court,” he said.
Karat blamed the neo-liberal policies of the UPA as the reason behind his failure to check black money and slammed statements of various ministers criticising the reports and the rulings of the Comptroller and Auditor General and the Supreme Court.
“If you read the statements of the various and ministers and even the prime minister, they have started criticising the CAG and the Supreme Court and are saying that everybody is conspiring against the government,” said Karat.