CPI to abstain from voting for Prez poll: D Raja

--‘Congress politicising Prez poll issue’

BHUBANESWAR: “Communist Party of India (CPI) has taken a principal stand to not support either Pranab Mukherjee or PA Sangma as presidential candidate, even our party would not participate in the upcoming presidential poll,” said senior CPI leader D Raja at a Press meet here on Monday. Though other left parties like Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Forward Bloc have decided to support Pranab, they would abstain the voting for presidential election, he added.

Raja said the Congress is making the presidential election as an issue and politicising it, which is not a healthy trend at all. Attacking both UPA and NDA, he said the Congress led UPA-2 Government suffers from loss of moral authority and political authority during its entire tenure. The country witness mega scams, scandals one after another during the Congress led UPA Government, but in other hand, the BJP party and BJP led NDA is totally in disarray and directionless. As an opposition party, it is not doing its duty which is expected from an active opposition party, he added.

Criticising UPA Government’s economic policy, Raja said the neo-liberal economic policies are proved disasters not only in India but also in entire world whether it is the USA or the Eurozone, still it is advocated by Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and his economic advisors along with the planning commission which would lead us towards recession. We are passing through a very critical period of time as deep economic crisis, recession, price rise and inflation are continuing to make the common people’s life miserable, he lamented.

“If at all somebody asks to hold responsible for the bad set up of Indian economy, it is Prime Minister Dr Singh and Congress led UPA-2 Government. They are responsible for such a bad economic situation today in the country. Industrial sector, manufacturing sector and agricultural sector take any sector, the Government failed to take appropriate steps to tackle the problems,” Raja said adding, “The promise made by the UPA-2 Government to bring the legislation to ensure right to food is failed as a result people don’t get adequate quantum of food grain at an affordable price.”

On the recently killing of ‘Maoists’ by CRPF forces in Chhatisgarh, Raja said it was a massacre of tribal people. It was an attack and assault on tribal people by the jawans. “Our party is demanding judicial inquiry into the killing of innocent tribals in Chhatishgarh in the name of Maoists,” he said.

Raja finally suggested that to overcome from the entire situation, the left democratic forces are the alternatives. In fact the country needs a political alternative, economic and social alternative who can take the country forward, he ended.