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A key ally of the UPA Government at the Centre,
the CPI (M) has called for taxing the rich to finance
the employment programmes promised in the Common Minimum
Programme.
Addressing a press-conference in Tiruvananthapuram,
Party General Secretary Prakash Karat said the state
governments should also get more resources to meet its
requirements in the development front.
''Ironically, all the taxes for the richer sections
have been reduced by the Central Government. Unless
we are able to tap the resources from the rich, the
disparity cannot be solved,'' he added.
Criticising the liberalisation process in the country,
Karat said 15 years of liberalisation had led to concentration
of enormous wealth in the hands of a small section of
people. While seeking to find resources for development,
the government should tap this section.
The three-day Study Congress of the CPI(M) in Kerala
concluded on Sunday with Karat stressing that more domestic
and foreign investments were needed for the future development
of the state.
Asserting that the CPI(M) stood for decentralisation
and greater devolution of powers to the states, he said
the people's plan campaign implemented by the previous
LDF rule needed to be carried forward by overcoming
weaknesses.
Holding that the state had often been hit by the negative
approach of the Centre in devolution of resources,he
said this had resulted in a "resource crunch"
in public investments in the social sector, agriculture
and reconstruction of PSUs.
This issue had to be taken up seriously with the Centre
and bodies like the Finance Commission, he said. Greater
efforts were necessary for empowerment of women in the
state and their representation in elected bodies and
trade unions was still low, he said.
The CPI(M) leader said social control in the higher
education sector was necessary to check unhealthy trends.
He also cautioned against efforts made by forces like
the 'Hindutva' in occupying political space and said
their sectarian agenda in education had to be opposed.
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