Modi Govt Paying ‘Returns’ to Corporates: CITU

BELLARY: Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) national general secretary and MP Tapan Sen hit out at the Narendra Modi-led NDA government and accused the PM of paying ‘returns’ to big corporate firms.

At an open convention on the final day of CITU’s national-level general council meeting held here on Monday, he alleged that corporates and big business firms had spent a lot to bring Modi to power. Modi ‘paid them back’ by introducing anti-labour policies for the growth of corporate firms and big businesses, he said.

“The present government at the Centre and state are looting and sucking the blood of common people by introducing policies favouring the business class,” he alleged. Recalling the importance of Bellary in the Indian economy, he alleged that the Reddy brothers, with the help of former chief minister B S Yeddyurappa and late Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajashekar Reddy, looted thousands of crores of rupees through illegal mining.

CITU president A K Padmanabhan said trade unions are not demanding shares in the looted money through rampant illegal mining, but minimum wages for workers.

He described the NDA government as ‘a new government with old policies’ because it follows the UPA government’s anti-labour and pro-industry policies in a more aggressive manner for the empowerment of corporates and big business firms. He said a decision was taken at a four-day general council meeting to launch an intense struggle against the policies of the Modi government and against Trinamool Congress in West Bengal for allegedly launching violent attacks on left activists.

Karnataka State Anganwadi Workers’ Association general secretary Varalakshmi alleged that though Modi claimed good days are ahead, the common people were only facing bad days as the government has slapped them with hiked train fares.