CPI(M) upset with Oppn parties for boycotting JPC without proper consultation

The party finds fault with the Congress for not steering discussions on time to take a common stand

New Delhi: CPI(M) on Tuesday voiced its displeasure over some Opposition parties rushing to announce boycott of Joint Committee of Parliament examining contentious bills on removal of top political executives following their arrest while finding fault with the Congress for not steering discussions on time to take a common stand.

General Secretary MA Baby told a press conference that the Left party will oppose the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, and two other bills with similar provisions to be implemented in Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territories, inside Parliament and on streets. He said if they join the JPC, they would oppose it there too.

Asked about CPI(M)'s position on joining the JPC, Baby told a press conference, "We will oppose it on the floor of Parliament. We will oppose it on the streets. Whether it will go to a JPC or not is a different question. If it goes to the JPC, we will oppose it there also."

He said that different parties in the Opposition have taken different positions which should have been avoided.

"The main Opposition party, the Congress, should have held consultations on time so that a common stand could be taken. Now, Trinamool Congress, AAP, SP have announced (boycott). We never jump into a conclusion. We assess the situation and take decisions. This is the present situation," he said.

The Bill, which seeks the removal of prime minister, chief ministers and ministers if they remain in custody for 30 days in a row, was introduced in Lok Sabha on August 20 and referred to the Joint Committee but without names of members. A motion to nominate Rajya Sabha MPs was moved a day later. However, the government has not announced the members of the panel till now.

"Every party in both Houses of Parliament should show sufficient sagacity and seriousness in coordinating among the Opposition parties. CPI(M) cannot take the leadership due to obvious reasons. Still we are talking to various parties so that we evolve a common strategy," Baby said.

Asked about the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bihar, he claimed it is fraught with violations while accusing the EC of "having consistently acted in favour of the BJP-led government" and now becoming "complicit in advancing the RSS/Sangh Parivar agenda".

On US tariff, he said Trump has been unleashing "tariff terrorism" while emphasising that the move is set to severely impact India’s agriculture, fisheries, MSMEs, and particularly its textile industry.

He said the just-concluded Central Committee meeting discussed the situation in poll-bound states -- Bihar, Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.

"Central Committee, after having heard the reports from these election-bound states, expressed confidence that the party and the alliance partners, supporters and sympathisers of the left democratic and progressive movement would be very strongly prepared in giving a revolutionary and a sounding victory that we wish the progressive and democratic movement would be able to take," he said.

To a question on West Bengal, he said, "we want to have a very good performance. We want to enhance our support base in West Bengal. We are going to improve our electoral performance also on a big scale." He said the question of aligning with Congress in the state will be addressed by the evolving political developments in the coming days.

Attacking the economic policies of the BJP-led government, he claimed that it is continuing to push the country into crisis. "People are suffering from rising prices, stagnant wages, and widening inequalities. Unemployment is increasing, particularly after the imposition of tariffs by the United States," he said.