The Communist Party of India and other left parties, along with like-minded secular parties, are planning to organise a nationwide hartal on September 20 in protest against central government’s decision to allow higher foreign direct investment in key sectors.
If not on September 20 for any reason, it will be taken up on the next day.
A final decision on it would be taken in New Delhi on Saturday night, CPI general secretary Suravaram Sudhakar Reddy told reporters here on Saturday.
Accusing the UPA government at the Centre of adopting anti-people policies, he said, “Even as the people are finding it hard to digest the hike in the price of diesel and cap on supply of subsidised gas cylinders to households, the prime minister has announced more back-breaking decisions."
The Centre on Friday decided to allow 51 percent FDI in multi-brand retail, 100 percent FDI in single-brand retail, 49 percent FDI in civil aviation and 74 percent FDI in broadcasting apart from disinvestment in four PSUs to raise Rs 10,000 crore.
"The decisions reek of USmark policies and prime minister Manmohan Singh is acting at the behest of capitalists and corporate world. ‘He says he is prepared to go down fighting. But whom is he fighting? People? We demand immediate rollback of the pricehike and the decisions on FDI,’’ the CPI chief said.
“Allowing FDI in the retail sector means death of small enterprises. FDI in broadcasting means complete freedom for foreign capitalist forces to manufacture news and manipulate public opinion to suit their own vested interest. What can you expect from a government which is neckdeep in scams, which cares little for people suffering from drought and does not think about long-pending food security bill and revival of sick industries to help the poor. It is the government in service of the corporate, not people."