CPI-M announces nationwide protest against rising fuel price, wants J&K statehood restored

Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Monday declared that the party high command has decided to hold a nationwide protest in the country against the rising prices of fuel.

Addressing a presser following the CPI-M's Central Committee meeting from October 22-24, Yechury said that the party strongly condemned the hike in the prices of petrol and diesel. Yechury said,

The Central Committee calls for a powerful all-India protest, as an action against this price rise. These actions should be conducted all over the country from the village/taluka level to the cities.

He added,

The daily price hikes are imposing unprecedented miseries on the people. This is accompanied by a monstrous hike in the price of cooking gas. This has triggered an overall inflationary spiral in the economy. Rising transportation costs are leading to the rise in prices of all essential items including food, vegetables, milk, and other articles of daily consumption.

The CPI-M General Secretary termed the Centre's claim of using central excise duties on petroleum products for financing COVID vaccinations and various social schemes as "ridiculous".

Yechury questions Centre on allocation of ₹35,000 crore for vaccination

"If people are paying exorbitant prices (as taxes), then vaccinations are not free. People are paying for it themselves. What has happened to the budgetary allocations of Rs 35,000 crores for vaccination? Yechury questioned.

Weighing up the present situation in Kashmir valley to that of the 1990s and citing the recent targeted killings in Jammu and Kashmir, the former Rajya Sabha MP said,

The Union Home Minister (Amit Shah) visited Jammu and Kashmir under massive military fortification, detaining hundreds of people. He made preposterous claims that with the abrogation of Article 370 and the dissolution of the erstwhile state of J-K, the situation has improved.

CPI-M General Secretary weighs up present situation in Valley with 1990s

Yechury said,

The recent spate of targeted killings of civilians has created a situation drawing parallels to what prevailed in the 1990s. This is alarming. Unless people's participation in the restoration of the democratic political process is established, it would be difficult to combat this rising extremist violence.

Yechury, speaking for the Central Committee, also demanded immediate restoration of Jammu and Kashmir's statehood and release of all political detainees. He also demanded the removal of curbs on media and wanted the government to put an end to the indiscriminate arrests of people, particularly the youths in Jammu and Kashmir.

Sitaram Yechury compares India's vaccination drive with China's 

Earlier on Friday, October 22, Yechury criticised India's vaccine milestone and lamented over the hike in the prices of fuel, unemployment and hunger rate.

Comparing the efficiency of India's vaccination campaign to that of China's, Sitaram Yechury had said, "Vaccine century is an achievement in itself but one must know that there are only two countries in the world that have a population of more than 123 crores. The other country has administered more shots of the second dose as compared to ours. Previously, the Prime Minister had given the assurance that by the end of the year, all the adults in the country will be vaccinated by this assurance seems far-fetched."

Inputs: ANI

Image: PTI