New Delhi: Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury on Monday said that the spread of Coronavirus is a serious situation and demanded creation of ‘national contingency fund’ to meet the challenges.
While briefing the decision of its Polit Bureau meeting, which was held on March 14-15, Mr Yechury pointed out that, according to some of the ICMR sources the deadly virus has already entered the third stage in the country.
“The results, if proper procedure is not followed, could be horrendous”, he said, and added that the obscurantist ideas being spread by some of the groups should be shunned and curbed sharply.
The CPI(M) General Secretary also said that the global meltdown now looks inevitable and with the adaptation measures because of COVID-19, there is bound to be a massive hit at the working population livelihood throughout the globe and especially in India, where 93 per cent of the workforce in the cities are engaged through informal channels.
“The core sector will also be sharply hit and this will affect in a large loss of jobs. Hence, a contingency fund is required to mitigate the challenges because of the present situation”, Mr Yechury said.
On the CAA-NPR-NRC protests, he said large gatherings should be avoided.
He said the CPI(M) and the Left parties have decided to not to hold large scale protests on March 23, the martyrdom day of Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev, and instead usual observances will be held throughout the country.
Mr Yechury said a large number of state governments have decided to either not to implement the NPR or to allow the 2010 census format.
“All of this together describes the whole process of the BJP government of implementing the CAA-NPR -NRC is getting strongly resisted in the country”, he said.
Pointing out at the statement made by the Home Minister Amit Shah in the parliament that nobody will be categorised as ‘doubtful’ category citizen during the NPR process, Mr Yechury said that this is insufficient and relevant sections of NPR must be taken out from the form.
