Trinamool opposition to Bill due to Left stand: Biman Basu

KOLKATA, July 20: The Trinamool Congress claims to be against pushing through the Forward Contract Regulation Act (Amendment) Bill only because the Left parties are opposing forward trading in food items and essential commodities, said Biman Basu, Chairman of the Left Front Committee in the State, here on Thursday.

“Forward trading was accepted as a policy when the National Democratic Alliance was in power at the Centre and the Trinamool Congress was one of its constituents. We had never heard of the party opposing it then. Neither did it oppose it as a part of the United Progressive Alliance II Government. The Trinamool Congress is only opposing it in the State because the Left parties are against it,” Basu said.

“The Left parties, however, have no difficulty with this (the opposition of the Trinamool Congress to forward trading)” he said, adding that the Left Front is “totally opposed to both forward trading in commodities and foreign participation in commodity markets”.

The Left Front is engaged in a sustained campaign against forward trading on food items and essential commodities as it is on several other issues, said Biman Basu, who is also the State Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), after a meeting of the Left Front Committee.

As part of its agitation programme in protest against rising prices of essential commodities as well as the Centre’s proposed Food Security Bill in its present form, the Left parties will hold a 48-hour sit-in demonstration from August 1 in Kolkata and the districts, he said.

The Left Front will also take out a “grand procession” against imperialism in Kolkata and in Siliguri on September 1– the day Germany had invaded Poland in 1939 and one which is observed as “Anti-Imperialism” and “Anti-War” Day. This time round the day will hold special significance in view of the U.S. designs to extend its military presence in Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, said Basu.

The Left Front also expressed concern at the manner in which the Mamata Government was dismantling the panchayat system by getting district officials to take over their functioning. A deputation of members of panchayats run by the Left parties will submit a memorandum in protest against attempts to undermine the three-tier system, he added.