Tripura chief minister slams Centre's neo-liberal policies

GUWAHATI: Appealing to his party to take up the slogan of resistance against the neo-liberal policies of the Centre, Tripura chief minister and CPM politburo member, Manik Sarkar on Saturday, gave the clarion call to the people of the northeast to stand united and fight against liberalisation, privatization and globalization.
Speaking at a seminar on "Neo-Liberal Economy: North East India and Search for an Alternative" organized as part of the three-day state convention of the CPM here, Sarkar said the development of the northeast depends on the development of the agriculture sector and in harnessing its immense human and natural resources, which capitalist countries do not allow as they bring the country under the umbrella of globalization.
Criticizing the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for bowing down before the command of the imperialist countries, he said the country is suffering the brunt of the neo-liberal policies introduced by the Congress two decades ago as 77 per cent of the country's population cannot even earn Rs 20 a day. Sarkar said the revelation that 44 per cent of the children up to the age of four are malnourished presents the real face of the development brought about by the neo-liberal reforms.
"When agriculture is almost dormant now, how can there be any industrial growth in the north-east? Despite its huge potential for agriculture, the northeastern states are tottering in poverty and unemployment," said the chief minister.
Sarkar stated that irrigational facilities were available only in 2.5 of the total irrigable lands in Tripura till 1978. But, when the CPM came into power in the state, it brought 98 per cent of the total irrigable lands under irrigation.
Criticizing the Congress government in Assam, he said, "The Food Corporation of India and the Jute Corporation of India do not play any role in boosting the economy. The jute farmers that protested against the failure of the JCI to procure their produces at right prices were ruthlessly killed in Assam." He added that the government is introducing FDI in retail as it favours the capitalist countries and as a result, it is crushing the Indian retailers.
"By bringing in private investment in the banking, insurance, telecommunication and communication sectors, the Centre wants to surrender the Indian economy before the international finance and monopoly capital," Sarkar added.