India: Country has entered a stage of recession: Yechury

Sitaram Yechury

Puducherry, Sep 26 (PTI) The CPI (M) on Thursday claimed that the country had entered a stage of recession with factories in large numbers being shut down and huge retrenchment of employees taking place.

Besides, farmers suicides continued and the country`s growth rate had fallen steeply and this scenario had clearly marked that the country was in a stage of recession, CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury alleged.

He also accused the BJP-led NDA government of "sharpening polarisation on the basis of religion in total violation of the constitution."

The government was unleashing an all round attack on the country`s constitutional order, democracy, federalism, secularism and the economic plight of the people, Yechury alleged.

He also disputed the claim that the situation in Kashmir valley was normal.

"If there was normalcy why is the communication system not working there, why shops are not open and public transport not available," he asked.

Yechury said the Centre should make huge investments in infrastructure development as it would generate jobs.

The CPI (M) along with other left parties would launch a nationwide protest from October 10 to 16 against the current economic crisis and force the government to invest in infrastructure development instead of extending concessions to the rich and the corporates, he said.

On Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying 'Abki Baar, Trump Sarkar" at the 'Howdy, Modi' event on Sunday at Houston, Yechury said "We do not allow any foreigner to campaign for any candidate in our polls."

"It is unbecoming of a Prime Minister of India, an independent nation, to actually go to the US and campaign for a candidate using the same slogan `Abki Baar Trump Sarkar` that he (Modi) used for himself in India," he said.

Yechury was here to participate in the ongoing meeting of the executive committee of the party's Tamil Nadu unit.

CPI (M) politburo member G Ramakrishna said the executive committee adopted resolutions opposing the Puducherry government`s reported move to encourage private players to establish a university in the Union Territory.

The meeting also adopted resolutions urging holding of civic polls every five years in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.