The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation (CPI-ML) batted for electoral reforms and a return to paper ballot from the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in its 15-point Lok Sabha poll manifesto, released on Monday.
The electoral reforms it suggested included putting a cap on the election expenditure of political parties, right to the electorate to recall elected representatives and automatic cancellation of their membership in case of defection.
Releasing the party manifesto, which sounded like a demand note, in Bihar’s capital Patna, party general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said the practice of conducting elections through EVMs should be discontinued as it was prone to manipulation.
He said the appointment of chief election commissioner and election commissioners be done by a committee comprising the Chief Justice of India, Prime Minister and leader of Opposition, as advised by the Supreme Court.
The manifesto, titled “End the disastrous, dictatorial Modi reign of corporate loot, communal hate and constitutional subversion”, also mentioned about scrapping the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC), National Population Register (NPR), Aadhaar and all biometric linked identification cards, and stopping use of Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI), which he called a tool of persecution against Indian diaspora.
The manifesto said “draconian laws” like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and three criminal codes be repealed, and all political prisoners be released, with Bhattacharya making a mention of jailed Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren.
Expressing concern over what he said “growing unemployment” among the youth, Bhattacharya suggested filling up all vacant government and pubic sector undertaking posts through regular employment, scrapping contractual appointments like the Agnipath scheme in the army, providing unemployment allowance to those out of job and stopping privatisation of key infrastructure and financial sectors.
He also suggested a national minimum wage of 35,000 per month, guaranteeing a daily minimum wage of ₹600 as well as 200 days of work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), while also restoring the old pension scheme.
Talking about expanding social welfare initiatives, Bhattacharya said an all-India caste census be conducted and the ambit of reservation be widened, on the pattern of Bihar.
Bhattacharya said the farmers must be legally guaranteed minimum support price (MSP) for all crops as per the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission, and waiver of their debts.
He also spoke about guaranteeing Constitutional rights of the transgender community, putting in place legal protection and support mechanisms for the LGBTIQA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, asexual) communities.
The manifesto also mentioned scrapping the National Education Policy 2020, with free education at all levels with schooling in mother tongue, and increasing the education budget to 10% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
It also mentioned free and universal healthcare, immunisation and access to affordable medicines to all.
The CPI-ML, which is part of the five-party Grand Alliance (GA) in Bihar, is contesting the Lok Sabha elections on three seats of Nalanda, Bhojpur and Karakat out of the 40 in Bihar.
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