New Delhi, February 27 The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Friday said it will mobilize the masses against several "anti-people" policy decisions of the Union government, and a rally will be held at Delhi's Ramlila Maidan on March 24.
Addressing a press conference here following a meeting of the party politburo, CPI(M) general secretary M A Baby also criticized the BJP-led Union government, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Israel, calling it a departure from India's long-held position of supporting the Palestinian cause.
The rally next month, he said, will oppose the new labor codes, the scrapping of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the draft Electricity Amendment Bill, the draft Seeds Bill, and the Indo-US interim trade deal.
"We have decided to hold movements highlighting the continuing attacks the Union government has been unleashing on the people. This includes the undermining of MGNREGA – a rights-based poverty alleviation program, the Seeds Bill, labor laws, and the India-US trade deal," Baby said.
He said that as part of preparations for the rally, 'Jan Akrosh Jathas' (People's Protest Groups) will be organized in all the North Indian states, with the participation of politburo and central committee members.
The nationwide campaign will be followed by the mass mobilization at the Ramlila Ground in Delhi on March 24.
The CPI(M) leader also said that the call for a general strike on February 12, given by the central trade unions (CTUs), was successful, and is a demonstration of the workers' anger towards the notification of labor codes and other attacks launched by the government.
"Similarly, in various parts of the country, the peasantry is on the march against the government's anti-farmer policies. The CPI(M) congratulates the working class and the peasantry for leading the protests against the anti-people policies of the BJP governments," he said.
On Modi's visit to Israel, the CPI(M) leader said his address to the Parliament there demonstrates a complete alignment of Indian foreign policy interests with Israel and the United States.
"This is a departure from India's long-held position of supporting the Palestinian cause and upholding the right to statehood of the people there. The visit is particularly inopportune because it is taking place at a time when the United States is preparing to attack Iran militarily, at the instigation of Israel," he said.
"Unable to reject the US offer, the Modi-led BJP government participated in the meeting as an observer in the US-constituted Board of Peace. This is yet another example of aligning India's foreign policy with that of the US at the cost of its strategic interests," the CPI(M) leader said, pointing out that some of the closest allies of the US, such as Germany and France, refused to join the Board, "which makes the Indian government's decision even more appalling".
Baby accused the Union government of carrying out a multi-pronged attack on the people of the country through the notification of labor codes, changing the character of the rural employment guarantee scheme, bringing out amendments to the electricity act to benefit private corporations, introducing the new seeds bill, proceeding to sign unfavorable trade deals, and thus surrendering the interests of the people of our country to the US and foreign capital.
"This is also reflected in the foreign policy, as is visible in the Prime Minister's visit to Israel and his statements. The Left party condemned the US aggression and economic blockade on Cuba, and expressed solidarity," he said.
