Bring bill in budget session to repeal farm laws:CPI to Centre

The CPI on Monday pledged itscontinued support to the ongoing farmers agitation in Delhiagainst the three contentious farm laws and demanded that theNarendra Modi government bring a bill to repeal them.

The NDA government talked about agrarian reforms, but itshould not mean corporatisation of agriculture and deprivingthe farmers rights and food security of the country, CPIGeneral Secretary D Raja said here.

He also said the party would mobilise ''all sections ofour society... secular, democratic and Left parties'' to defeatthe RSS-BJP combine and save the country, its Constitution anddemocracy.

''We have decided to continue to support this farmersagitation. We demand the repealof all these threeagricultural laws,'' Raja told reporters here, a day after thetwo-day National Council meeting of the CPI concluded here.

Thousands of farmers, especially from Punjab and Haryana,are protesting at the borders of Delhi for over two monthsdemanding the repeal of the farm laws, claiming they wouldaffect their livelihood, a charge rejected by the government.

The government offered to put the laws on hold for 18months, but how can it be done as the acts were enacted by theParliament and signed by the President, Raja said.

''Our party demands, in the budget session, thisgovernment should move a bill for the repeal of these threeagricultural laws,'' he said.

He said the CPI would continue to support the farmersagitation because they were very determined, united and havecome together to ''save Indian agriculture.

Claiming that the countrys economy was in a crisis, hesaid the NDA government at the Centre used the pandemic periodto dismantle public sector units which were the backbone ofthe economy.

Accusing the Modi government of ''brazenly undermining theConstitution and buildingtheocratic and pro-corporategovernance,'' the CPI leader said his party has decided tocontinue to fight against the ''communal and fascist forces,''uniting all secular, democratic and Left forces.

The RSS-BJP combine needed to be defeated if the country,its Constitution and democracy were to be saved, he said.

''This needs a broad-based ideological campaign. This needsa broad-based political campaign, mobilising all sections ofour society, mobilising all secular, democratic, Left partiesin our country. This is what our party decided, he said.

Raja said the party congress (held once in three years)would be held in Vijayawada early next year, adding the monthand other details would be decided later.

Asked about the CPI's preparations for the assemblyelections in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala, West Bengal andAssam, to be held during the year, he said the partysunderstanding was that the primary objective must be to defeatBJP and its allies.

''Accordingly, the (party's) electoral tactical line mustbe evolved,'' he said.

In Kerala, the ruling Left Democratic Front, in whichthe CPI is a partner, gained strength after Jose K Mani joinedit, he said, adding its strong performance in the recent localbody polls was well known.

''After the Hyderabad municipal corporation elections, MrAmit Shah of BJP claimed Hyderabad is the gateway for entryinto the south. I challenge Mr Amit Shah, what is going tohappen in Kerala, wait and see. Because, the last local bodyelections, after Hyderabad, LDF won and made a huge victory,he said.

CPI was working in a combine led by the DMK in Tamil Naduand Puducherry, he said.

BJP was using all resources at its command to gain afoothold in Tamil Nadu but the Left parties would ensure thatit did not happen, he said.

In West Bengal, the Left Front (CPI is a part of it) andthe Congress were discussing ''electoral adjustments'', he said.

''There also, the BJP is desperate. It is really creatinga hype as though BJP will win 200 plus seats. But, West Bengalpeople will give them a fitting reply.

''We have made it clear, the Left Front and Congress wouldemerge as a credible alternative in the given situation inWest Bengal,'' he said.