Nazira: In response to the Left parties’ nationwide campaign, the Communist Party of India (CPI) staged a protest in Nazira town in Sivasagar, Assam on Wednesday, condemning the alleged “anti-people” proposals in the Union Budget 2025-26.
The budget, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has sparked widespread criticism from Left parties, who demand the inclusion of their proposals before the budget’s final adoption through the Finance Bill.
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The CPI activists gathered at a street corner meeting in Nazira town, expressing their discontent with the government’s policies.
The protest is part of a broader nationwide campaign by Left parties, who argue that the budget neglects the needs of the common people.
Addressing the gathering, State CPI Secretary Kanak Gogoi and Sivasagar district CPI Secretary Moni Buragohain said alternative proposals that prioritize the welfare of the people were needed.
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They claimed that the current budget proposals are anti-people and will only exacerbate the existing socio-economic inequalities.
The CPI leaders highlighted several key demands that the Left parties have been advocating for. These include the imposition of a 4 per cent wealth tax on the 200 billionaires in the country and an increase in corporate tax.
They also demanded a provision of legal guarantee for minimum support price for agricultural produce and withdrawal of the draft National Policy Framework on Agricultural Marketing.
Furthermore, the CPI leaders called for a halt to the privatization of public sector units and the handing over of public assets to the private sector through the National Monetization Pipeline.
They also demanded an increase in MGNREGA allocation by 50 per cent, the introduction of the Urban Employment Guarantee Act, and an increase in the Centre’s provision for old-age pensions and other social security benefits.
In addition, the CPI emphasized the need for increased allocations for the health and education sectors, with a target of 3 per cent of the GDP for health and 6 per cent for education.
They also demanded an increase in food subsidies to strengthen the public distribution system, as well as increased allocations for the SC and ST sectors and for women and child development.
The CPI leaders called for an increase in funds transferred by the Centre to the states and the scrapping of cesses and surcharges on petroleum products.