New Delhi,April 6, 2024: The Communist Party of India released its manifesto for the General Elections to the 18th Lok Sabha, 2024 today. The manifesto calls for a change of government at the centre as the rule of the Bhartiya Janta Party led government at the Union has proven to be a disaster for the country. The BJP regime headed by Mr. Narendra Modi has made life miserable for our people due to their economic mismanagement.
Unemployment and price-rise have become the biggest woes for the people. BJP’s rule has resulted in unprecedented concentration of wealth at the top while the poor is pushed to destitution. Further, controlled by the Hindutva ideology of the RSS, BJP is targeting the core values of our Constitution like secularism, socialism, federalism, liberty, equality and fraternity. BJP’s continuation in power would mean increased misery for the people of our country and a death knell for our Constitution and the ideals enshrined in it.
The General Elections 2024 have become very crucial for our country and its future. BJP has failed the country economically, politically & socially. A pro-people government with an agenda to address the crises people are facing is necessary. The social fabric of our Republic is under strain but BJP is trying to divert attention through the chimera of Modi’s Guarantees & Viksit Bharat, while our countrymen are faring worse than ever.
Whatever happened to Modi’s earlier guarantees and the promise of ‘Acche Din’, everyone knows. Our freedom fighters conceived India as a secular, democratic and welfare state but the BJP is attempting to wipe out these values from our public life. Heightened unemployment, exorbitant increase in the prices of essential commodities, burden of foreign debt, value of dollar have all gone up but the BJP kept showering benefits to corporate houses. BJP has become the most corrupt party in our modern history, as revealed from the details of Electoral Bonds.
Unsure of victory even through hook-or-crook, the BJP is now resorting to intimidate the opposition but abusing central agencies like the ED but the people of our country see through all this and will answer through the ballot.
In this background, the CPI places before the people its position on vital issues on which CPI will mobilise public opinion and commit itself to fight inside and outside of Parliament:
CPI will fight to promote the ideals of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity and Justice, Secularism, Socialism and Federalism among the people.
CPI will introduce measures to address growing inequality and expand the resource base of our country with taxation measures like Wealth Tax, Inheritance Tax and increased corporate tax to keep the nature of our economy more equal, just and egalitarian.
CPI will raise the demand for increased funding for health and education to create an health & education infrastructure which is accessible to all.
CPI will fight to promote public sector with equality of opportunity along with ensuring reservations in the private sector.
The CPI will continue to fight politically and legally to remove the arbitrary cap of 50% on reservations.
CPI will strive to implement women’s reservation immediately by removing the clause relating to delimitation and census.
The CPI will strive for the stalled exercise of National Census. To formulate appropriate policy measures for the socially and educationally backward sections, caste census will be undertaken.
CPI will work for the abolishment of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.
CPI will continue its struggle for a minimum wages of INR 700 under MGNREGA and increasing the available work days to 200 in a calendar year.
CPI will also intensify its fight for an Urban Employment Guarantee Act and social security for gig-workers.
CPI will raise the demand of scrapping the contractual and derogatory Agnipath Scheme with its demeaning service conditions betraying the youth of our country.
The CPI will work towards complete restoration of the Old Pension Scheme.
The CPI aims to bring central investigative agencies like the ED & CBI under the purview of Parliament to ensure impartiality in their probe and to avoid interference and abuse by the Executive.
CPI will intensify its struggle for the abolition of Governor’s Office to strengthen federalism by removing Union’s interference. Elected governments in states should be empowered to take major policy decisions like entrance examinations to subjects in the State List.
The CPI will continue its struggle for full statehood to Puducherry and NCT of Delhi. Complete statehood must be restored to Jammu & Kashmir along with special status and assembly elections.
The Union Government & the State Government of Manipur must strive for a lasting political solution about the crisis in the state, taking into confidence all stakeholders.
CPI will mobilise public opinion for comprehensive electoral reforms, including state funding of elections as recommended by the Indrajit Gupta Committee and for proportional representation system.
CPI will strive to remove executive interference in the appointments of CEC and ECs to ensure the independence of the Election Commission of India.
NITI Aayog will be dismantled and the Planning Commission will be reinstated to formulate scientific policies for our country.
CPI will fight to make the details of the opaque PM-CARES funding public, like Electoral Bonds, and will utilise the amount to create employment opportunities.
CPI will scrap all irrational and communal changes brought by the BJP in NCERT and other text-books.
New Education Policy (NEP) will be scrapped and replaced with a pro-people model of education for the entire country. All measures taken by the BJP to centralise, commercialise and communalise education will be rolled-back.
The CPI is going to face the elections with this pro-people agenda and other detailed demands for the people as elaborated in the manifesto.
The CPI appeals to the electorate to exercise their right to vote for a secular, democratic, pro-people alternative, for strengthening the CPI and for strengthening of Left in the 18th Lok Sabha. People of our country had unitedly defeated the British Raj, now it is time that we unitedly defeat the RSS-BJP Raj to save the nation, our Constitution, democracy and livelihoods.
(D. RAJA)
General Secretary
