Financial sector, Sachar Report most imp: Left

New Delhi, Nov 19: The Winter session of Parliament beginning on Wednesday is likely to be stormy and generate heat as the Left parties today insisted that they would put the Centre on the mat on legislative bills on reforms in the financial sector, continuing price rise, Special Economic Zones, the agrarian crisis and farmers' suicides.

They will also press for the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill in its original form as approved by the Geetha Mukherjee Committee, the Unorganised Sector Bill and the agricutural workers bill among others.

In separate interviews to sources, the top leaders of the CPI, CPI(M), RSP and Forward Bloc said they would also demand that the government discuss the Sachar Committee Report on the status of Minorities in the country and that the Government should not concede anything beyond July 18, 2005 Agreement and the assurance given by the Prime Minister during the last session of Parliament CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said, ''The government has hinted that it will bring some legislation to reform the financial sector. The Left is totally opposed to the so- called reforms in the Pension, Banking and Insurance sector bills.'' Mr Bardhan said the session would also witness many amendments moved by the Left on the creation of SEZs as passed during the last session of Parliament relating to their total numbers, method of acquiring land and the rehabilitation package not only for the farmers but all the affected people.

CPI(M) senior leader and Rajya Sabha MP Brinda Karat said the Left parties are very much concerned about the "grave issue" of continuing price rise and the government's failure to bring down the prices of Petrol and Diesel even as the international prices of crude oil had fallen from 70 dollar per barrel to 50.

''We will also be asking the Manmohan Singh government to discuss the Sachar Committee Report and the need for an affirmative action to address the social- economic and educational backwardness of the minorities.'' On the continuing farmers suicides, she said it was because of the deepening agrarian crisis and the apparent failure of the so-called packages for the farmers. ''We will also demand the passage of the long- pending Tribal Rights and the Agricultural Workers Bills. We expect that the bill on reservation for the OBCs in the educational institutions will be passed.'' On the Sachar Committee Report's emphasis on equity and education for the Muslims, CPI National Secretary Shamim Faizi said, ''the Report would also generate heat in the House as obviously some sections like the Samjawadi Party (SP) and the Muslim League will demand reservations in jobs and admissions in educational institutions. On the other hand the saffron party, the BJP and its allies would use the opportunity from the communal angle as they always do.'' ''While the Left is all for an affirmative action on the issue but is certainly not in favour of reservations based on religion,'' Mr Faizi, the editor of Party Weekly 'New Age', said.

On the US Senate clearing the Indo-US nuclear deal bill, Mr Faizi said it has many grey areas. Even the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission has expressed his reservations on the final outcome when the two bills passed by the Senate and the Congress are to be synchronised.

Forward Bloc General Secretary and party leader in the Rajya Sabha Debvrat Biswas, referring to the UPA- Left Coordination Committee meet on November 13, said the Government had promised to present in this session the long-pending bills on Women's Reservation and Tribal Rights.

''The expectation is that the Women's Reservation Bill as approved by the Ms Geeta Mukherhee Committee will be presented in its original form,'' Mr Biswas added.

Forward Bloc National Secretary G Devrajan said the Tribals Bill had been processed by the Standing Committee and several useful recommendations had been incorporated in the legislation.

''The government should accept the same.'' RSP leader and MP Abani Roy said said a large number of unorganised workers from across the country are participating in the March to Parliament on November 23. Their main demands are the provision for social security for 370 million workers in the unofficial sector and the comprehensive legislation for agricultural workers.

Both these measures have been included in the National Common Minimum Programme, Mr Roy added.

UNI