Statement

Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)
R-8, Pratap Market, Jangpura- B, New Delhi – 110014, Ph: 011-24370233
 

he union budget presented by Pranab Mukherjee today is a package of policies that enhances the dominance of imperialist and corporate capital over the entire country and life of the common people. Its prescription under American pressure for laying red carpet for all brands of FDI through the “automatic route” is intended to integrate the country fully with the crisis-ridden imperialist world economy. The aim of issuing licenses to corporate monopolies for starting private commercial banks obviously is to undermine the very basis of public sector led Indian banking system, with its catastrophic consequences. Coupled with this the decision to mobilize more than Rs. 25000 crores from the disinvestment of PSUs under the guise of people’s participation in public sector is to destroy whatever left of the so called ‘state led development’ and put the speculative corporate sector at the commanding heights of the economy. Still more abominable is the   special provisions extended to SEZs in the name of export promotion in addition to the almost  Rs.2 lakh crore  concessions already granted to them since 2005.
The budget makes a mockery of its own posture on food security by allowing big corporate grain traders to operate the large number of FCI godowns  throughout the country  on a lease basis. This is an indirect move on the part of Manmohan government to abstain itself from public procurement and public distribution of food grains at time when famine like situation is prevailing in the country. All the infrastructure projects pertaining to roads, ports, railways, etc. that are announced in the  budget are to be carried out on a “public-private partnership” which is nothing but a euphemism for unfettered privatization. The budget has also announced programs for opening up retail trade to corporates and MNCs.
At a critical juncture when the entire people in the country are reeling under an unprecedented double digit price rise and inflation, instead of addressing this question in any meaningful way, the budget has enhanced petrol and diesel prices by one rupee per litre which is just like adding fuel to the fire. Further, an across the board 10 percent hike in excise duty on all items will raise price rise and inflation several fold paving the way for untold miseries to the common people.
The budget for 2010-11 is a blatant surrender before imperialists and naked appeasement of all corporate            sections in its details. Its provisions will further aggravate the already existing double digit price rise and famine in the country. It is an assault on the working class, peasantry and toiling masses of the country. We call up on the people to come to the streets to expose and resist the neocolonial, anti-people provisions of the budget.

KN Ramachandran

General Secretary, CPI(ML)

New Delhi                                                                               
26/2/2010