Govt using pandemic to privatise assets, say Left parties

PTI, May 16, 2020, 8:07 PM IST

New Delhi: The Left parties on Saturday hit out at the government over its latest economic package, accusing it of using the COVID-19 pandemic to impose the agenda of the rich and trying to privatise the country’s public assets.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday announced various economic stimulus for eight sectors of coal, minerals, defence production, air space management, airports, MRO, distribution companies in UTs, space sector and atomic energy.

Using this Pandemic lockdown to unilaterally impose the agenda of the rich, Foreign & Domestic Capital for more super-profits is inhuman. Looting national assets destroys Self Reliance, said CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury in a tweet.

The central govt must clearly state how it has used the lockdown (which at least cost India 140 million jobs and so many lives) to bolster public health. The Centre had projected zero deaths for today!, he added in his tweet.

He also said more than 30 migrants were killed on roads on Saturday due to the gross mismanagement by Modi government.

Its ministers didn’t have the basic decency and humanity to remember those unfortunate ones, while going on to dish out their daily litany of old jumlas, he said.

CPI general secretary D Raja said the announcement by the finance minister was nothing but a push for privatisation and corporatisation.

Having failed to address the coronavirus crisis, this government is trying to push through its agenda of neo-liberal economic structure. It is meant to encourage and strengthen privatisation and corporatisation. It is very deceitful. It is ironical that on one side, they speak of aatmanirbhar bharat’, but they are handing over the entire economy to the private sector, he said.

The CPI has also announced a nationwide protest on May 19, demanding measures to address grievances of the migrant workers.