Left press for separate discussion on agrarian crisis

New Delhi, Nov 20 (UNI) The Left parties today demanded that the government hold a comprehensive discussion on the Justice Rajendra Sachar Committee Report on the status of Muslims and the Dr M S Swaminathan Agriculture Commission findings among other topics during the Winter session of Parliament beginning on Wednesday.

" We want a separate discussion on the deepening agrarian crisis to discuss the whole gamut of issues- dwindling agricultural production, farmers suicides, food security and debt relief among other things," the Left leaders told mediapersons after consultations.

An over 90- minute meeting held at the CPI headquarters- the Ajoy Bhawan- was attended by CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat and his counterpart in the CPI- A B Bardhan and party national secretary D Raja, RSP leader and Rajya Sabha member Abani Roy and Forward leaders- Debvrat Biswas and G Devrajan.

A formal meeting of the Floor leaders in both Houses of Parliament for coordination would take place day after tomorrow.

While Mr Karat said the agrarian crisis was "very serious" , Mr Bardhan said it was high time that a regular legislation was passed on relief measures for the farmers.

Mr Karat said they also wanted serious discussions on the Sachar Comittee report in Parliament.

The government's failure to bring down prices of diesel and petrol despite the price of crude oil falling in the international market and issues relating to SEZs and the increasing price rise would also be discussed, Mr Karat said.

Mr Bardhan said the findings of the Sachar Committee were "depressing" and some measures had to be taken to implement the recommendations to remove the social, economic and educational backwardness among the Muslim community.

They said they would ask the government to hold discussion on the status of internal security, but they made it clear that they did not approve of the BJP stand that the UPA government is soft on terrorism and its demand for discontinuing the resumption of composite diaolgue with Pakistan.

When pointed out Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath's advocacy for reforms in the Pension Fund and the retail sector, Mr Karat and Mr Bardhan quipped," they are running the UPA government." " We are holding discussions with the Prime Minister on these issues. We have already submitted detailed notes on these to the UPA- Left Coordination Committee," they said.

On " writing off the bank loans due to the distressed "farmers, they said it could be done while adding that the Kerala government was also thinking on this line.

On the same yardstick for the debt due to moneylenders, they said the same principle could be applied to that also.

UNI KSA RP HT1907