From the depths of human barbarity, CPM successfully ascends Mt Everest of Hypocrisy

From the depths of human barbarity, CPM successfully ascends Mt Everest of Hypocrisy


After bludgeoning Rajkumar Bul to death in a lathicharge on 25th of
September and then raping and burning alive Tapasi Malik on the
morning of December 19th, they now preach to the centre on SEZ's !

The speed with which it has risen from depths of barbarity displayed
by it's goons and police in the fields of singur to the heights
of hypocrisy leaves me breathless..

I need to keep cylinders of oxygen next to my computer.


Business/Economy : Amend SEZ Act and emulate Singur, CPI-M tells government
Posted by admin on 2006/12/21 7:36:10

New Delhi, Dec 21 (IANS) Under fire for acquiring fertile farmlands in West Bengal for a car project, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) has chosen to attack the central government over Special Economic Zones and its "ruthless" acquisition of agricultural land.

The CPI-M, which along with three other Left parties supports Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government, demanded in its mouthpiece Thursday that New Delhi should amend SEZ Act and put the package offered by the West Bengal government in Singur as "the best" to emulate.

The CPI-M's advice comes despite the campaign in West Bengal state over the acquisition of farmland for a Tata small car project in Singur. Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee has been on fast for 18 days against it.

"The ruthless acquiring of fertile agricultural land for SEZs needs to be urgently regulated," an editorial in "People's Democracy" said.

The editorial suggested that the central government and states could follow the West Bengal government while awarding compensation for land that is acquired.

"The complete package offered by the CPI-M-led Left Front government in West Bengal is one of the best and, hence, needs to be emulated elsewhere."

The Left parties had told the government that the present SEZ Act and Rules would have to be amended on crucial issues such as land acquisition, tax concessions, land use and implementation of labour laws.

In a note handed over to the Left, the government has defended the SEZ Act saying it had been enforced 10 months ago and was at a "nascent" stage. "Any arbitrary change in the SEZ Act and Rules would send a wrong signal to the investors," the note said.

But the communists refused to buy the argument. "This position of the government is untenable," the editorial said.

"When the SEZ Act was passed in parliament, the idea was to provide a stable policy framework for creating some Special Economic Zones in different parts of the country, which through the provision of quality infrastructure and some tax incentives would give a boost to industrial growth and exports.

"It is the proliferation of SEZ proposals and their en masse approvals granted by the government within a matter of a few months which has quite naturally, given rise to a big public debate," the article said, pointing out that China, which has a successful story of SEZs, has only six and there are only 2,000 of them across the world.

But the Indian government has already sanctioned 237 SEZs and approved another 166 in principle within less than a year of the promulgation of the SEZ rules.

Pointing out that the CPI-M has been arguing for a thorough revamp of the Land Acquisition Act, it said: "This is a legislation enacted in British India way back in 1894. A new act must be brought to replace this one which shall legally ensure that the owners of the acquired land have not only consented but become stakeholders in future projects, and that the compensation covers not only the land owners but all other sections who were dependent on agricultural activity for their livelihood."

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