Date:08/04/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/04/08/stories/2008040857100400.htm

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Left was betrayed on SEZ Act: RSP

Special Correspondent

Chandrachoodan says the UPA government went back on its promise

Says Left should have been more vigilant
RSP plans Parliament march against price rise

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: RSP general secretary T.J. Chandrachoodan said here on Monday that the UPA government had taken the Left for a ride on the Special Economic Zone Act.

Replying to questions at a news conference, Prof. Chandrachoodan said the Left had taken the government’s word on the SEZ Act at its face value and realised its mistake only when the rules favouring large corporations were published.

“The government trapped us. We should have been a little more vigilant,” the RSP leader said and pointed out that the government agreed to put a cap on the extent of land that could be acquired for SEZs and incorporate provisions to protect the interests of those whose land was taken over only after the Left mounted a massive struggle over the issue.

Prof. Chandrachoodan said the country was faced with a similar situation with regard to the recommendation of the Hooda Committee appointed by the Planning Commission seeking total withdrawal of the government from health and education sectors, privatisation of pension funds, removal of the FDI cap in the insurance sector, reduction of government stake in public sector banks from the present 70 per cent to 33 per cent, grant of clearance for contract farming and total overhaul of the labour laws in the country.

If these recommendations are acted upon, it would mean the death of the concept of welfare State in the country, he said.

The RSP leader said his party would hold a Parliament March and march to Central government offices in the districts in various States on April 15 in protest against the government’s failure to check inflation and price rise. Instead of taking firm action to check hoarding and strengthen the public distribution system, the government was requesting steel, sugar and cement companies to reduce the prices of their products. This clearly showed that the UPA government had surrendered its sovereign authority to act against the corporates, he said.

The RSP, he said, would also join hands with the other Left parties and the UNPA constituents in the countrywide agitation from April 16 to 23 in protest against the government’s failure on the price front.

He would not say that the unity of Opposition parties on the agitation front would necessarily mean an electoral alliance.