Left to raise Rural crisis in monsoon session of Parliament

New Delhi, July 19 (UNI) Left parties would raise the agrarian crisis, including farmers' suicides, food crisis, price rise and the general economic condition, in the monsoon session of Parliament that starts next week.

This was the message that rang out from the dharna ground at Jantar Mantar here where leading lights of the CPI(M), the CPI, the Forward Bloc and RSP addressed a meeting today at the end of their three-day nationwide protests against rising prices of essential commodities.

The Left parties have been demanding stoppage of forward trading and reversal of amendments in the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to contain the price spiral.

The number of the essential commodities declined from 70 in 1989 to 15 during the previous NDA regime, jeopardising the government's capability to check reckless profiteering in such items and thus contributing to the price rise, the parties say.

''On the question of food security, the UPA government has been a total failure,'' CPI Secretary D Raja said.

The CPI(M)'s Brinda Karat and Gurudas Dasgupta besides the Forward Block's G Devarajan were among others who addressed the meeting.

UNI XC RP HT1812