Party Congress calls for wide mass movement

Coimbatore, Mar 30 (UNI) The 19th Congress of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) today called for a wide mass movement in support of radical restructuring of the Centre-State relations in the interest of working people across the country.

Briefing newspersons about the resolutions, Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury said the Party Congress had so far adopted two resolutions, which included issues relating to the Centre-State relations and alarming price rise of essential commodities.

Pointing out the ''estronged'' relations between the States and Centre, Mr Yechury said in the administrative sphere, no safeguards against the abuse of Article 356 have been instituted. Moreover, there was a new and alarming tendency of misinterpreting the provisions of Article 355 and sending the armed forces by the Central Government to states unilaterally.

On the other hand, when the state governments requested for assistance of Central Reserve Forces, often there was undue delay on the part of the Central Government, he added.

He said the Party Congress demanded that the Governor should be appointed from a list of three eminent persons suggested by the Chief Minister satisfying the criteria mentioned by the Sarkaria Commission, which had been totally unheeded.

Also in the legislative sphere, further intrusions have been made into the state list in terms of proliferation of the so-called centrally-sponsored schemes in the state subjects, he said, adding the constitutional amendments of set time limits for receiving sanction of Governors or assent of the President in the case of bills passed by the state Assemblies have not yet been introduced.

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