NEW DELHI: Pledging to help in the installation of a secular Government at the Centre, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) in its manifesto, released on Thursday, promised the scrapping of controversial the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) along with ‘draconian’ laws such as Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Prevention of Money Laundering (PMLA) Act.
The party also made an assurance to tax the ‘super rich’, a two-fold increase in allocation for MGNREGA, reservation in private sector jobs, provisions for state funding of elections and immediate restoration of full statehood of Jammu and Kashmir.
In the manifesto, the CPM also vowed to fight for an uncompromising adherence to the principle that religion is separated from politics, the State, the Government and the administration. “It will fight for a law against hate speech and crimes. It is committed to scrapping the CAA,” stated the document containing election promises.
Speaking on the release of the manifesto, party general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Thursday appealed to the electorate to defeat the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies and increase the strength of the CPM and left parties in Lok Sabha to protect the character of the Republic of India.
“The presence of Left parties and the CPM in the parliament is very critical to ensure that pro-people policy direction is adopted by the Government. The importance of the Left parties and CPM lies in the fact that irrespective of parliamentary strength, we set the agenda before... I appeal to increase the strength of CPM in the Parliament and end the reign of the most corrupt Government independent India has ever known,” said Yechury.
He said that his party is committed to policies to protect India’s economic sovereignty. “A tax on the super-rich along with a general wealth tax and an inheritance tax must be legislated, workers’ rights reflected in pro-worker laws must replace the labour codes; food security depends on ensuring the security of the farmers of India through a legal guarantee of MSP according to the Swaminathan Commission recommendations,” added the Left party leader.
The CPM leader said that it also stands for a Governor to be chosen out of a panel of three eminent persons proposed by the chief minister to put an end to policies which promote centralization at the expense of the states.
One of the promises offered by the manifesto is reforms to curb the use of ‘money power’ in the electoral process. For this, the party wants State funding of elections and a ban on corporate donations to political parties.
“Given the grievously deteriorating living conditions of the people the current policy direction of crony capitalism and the communal-corporate nexus must be reversed,” the CPM noted in its manifesto.
