Revolutionary Socialist Party and All India Forward Bloc.
February 4, 2025-The leaders of the Left parties – Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation,The Union Budget 2025-26 is a betrayal of the immediate and basic requirements of the people. Instead of addressing the problem of demand in the economy due to the lack of purchasing power in the hands of the people, mass unemployment and shrinking wages, the Modi government has, through the Budget, sought to stimulate the economy by giving concessions to the rich even as expenditures are cut. Instead of mobilizing resources by taxing the rich and the big corporate houses and expanding public investments that would help generate employment and ensure a minimum wage for people, it has chosen to do the opposite. The Budget promotes greater accumulation of wealth by promoting private investment, placing public assets at the service of the private sector and privatization of the power sector and so on. Revolutionary Socialist Party and All India Forward Bloc – met on February 3, 2025 and discussed the Union Budget. They have issued the following statement:Left Parties Call on Alternative Proposals for Budget
The Union Budget completely neglects the issue of unemployment and expenditure on food subsidies, agriculture and allied activities, education, health, rural development, social welfare and urban development are stagnant or lower than last year, if one factors in inflation. The allocation for MNREGA remains stagnant at Rs. 86,000 crore, even as the demand has grown. The raising of the income tax exemption limit to Rs. 12 lakhs has provided relief to a section of the people, but a wider number of working people who are suffering from price rise and indirect taxes like GST have been left out. The loss suffered by raising the tax exemption limit could have been met by increasing the rates of taxation on the richer sections and the corporates. But the government has chosen not to do so and instead provided a bonanza to the corporate sector and the super-rich.
The Left parties reject all the anti-people proposals in the Budget and have resolved to demand that they be replaced by the following alternative proposals, which can help to create demand by increasing the purchasing power of the people, generate employment opportunities and raising wages. The alternative proposals will help to ensure the right of people to education, health and social security benefits.
The Left parties demand the introduction of the following proposals, which should find a place in the Finance Bill:
1) Introduce a wealth tax of 4 per cent on the 200 billionaires (in dollar terms) in the country; increase corporation tax.
2) Provide legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price for agricultural produce and withdraw the draft National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing.
3) Halt privatization of public sector units and handing over of public assets to the private sector through the National Monetisation Pipeline. Withdraw 100 per cent FDI in insurance sector.
4) Increase MNREGA allocation by 50 per cent; introduce urban employment guarantee Act; increase the Centre’s provision for old-age pensions and other social security benefits.
5) Increase outlays for health to 3 per cent of GDP and education to 6 per cent of GDP.
6) Increase food subsidy to strengthen public distribution system.
7) Increase allocation for SC, ST sector and for women and child development substantially, including increased outlay for ICDS; increase the Central share of the honorarium for scheme workers. Increase transfers of funds to the states and funds for Centrally-sponsored schemes substantially. Scrap the cesses and surcharges on petroleum products which are not included in the divisible pool for sharing with states.
The Left parties will campaign for the inclusion of the above demands/proposals in the Union Budget before it is finally adopted through the Finance Bill. To mobilise the people in support of these proposals, the Left parties will conduct a week-long mass campaign from February 14 to 20. The state units of the Left parties will chalk out the plans to conduct mass campaign and reach the maximum number of people through door-to-door campaign, street corner meetings, demonstrations and rallies.
Sd/-
D Raja Prakash Karat
General Secretary, CPI Co-ordinator,Polit Bureau CPI(M)
Dipankar Bhattacharya Manoj Bhattacharya
General Secretary, CPI(ML) Liberation General Secretary, RSP
G. Devarajan
General Secretary, AIFB
