CPI(M) stages dharna against spiralling prices of essential commodities

A dharna was organised under the aegis of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), to protest against the spiralling prices of essential commodities, protection of women, provision of employment to youths and merger of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) with Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), at the Tahsildar’s Office at Seethammadhara on Thursday.

Addressing the gathering, CPI(M) district secretary M. Jaggunaidu alleged that instead of controlling the prices of essential commodities, the Central and State governments were resorting to hiking the prices. This apart, the true-up charges and fuel charges were increased exorbitantly to tax the people further. The TDP-JSP-BJP alliance government would face the wrath of the people if it failed to implement its pre-election promise of “keeping the prices of essential commodities under control”.

Prices of various commodities of daily use like pulses, cooking oils, tamarind, and rice apart from vegetables, petrol and diesel have all gone up. To bring the prices under control, the government should supply quality rice and 16 other essential commodities through the ration depots. Mr. Jaggunaidu said that the BJP and TDP governments, which had promised to increase the incomes of the people, were instead resorting to hiking the power charges by imposing True Up charges. He recalled that BJP-led NDA government had privatised the Discoms in the past and the TDP government had followed suit. Now, both the governments were implementing the same old policies. He said that the Left parties would intensify their agitation, if the government failed bring the prices of essential commodities under control.

Viskahapatnam Steel Plant: CPI-M district secretariat member B. Ganga Rao said that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, who had promised to protect the steel plant before the elections, were silent while the Modi government terminated the services of 4,000 contract workers and showed the door to some permanent workers through the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS). He wondered as to the reason for Mr. Naidu and Mr. Pawan Kalyan spending a lot of time at ‘Rushikonda palace’ but failing to visit the steel plant.

CPI(M) district committee member P. Mani alleged that the BJP-led government at the Centre and the alliance government in the State were doing injustice to workers and farmers by bringing in Labour Codes and ‘anti-labour’ policies. She sought that the workers should be given ₹26,000 as minimum wage and farmers should be given remunerative prices for their produce.

CPI-M leaders M. Subba Rao, USN Raju and V. Narendra Kumar also spoke.

Published - November 15, 2024 09:00 am IST