Narendra Modi singing paeans to capitalists: Congress

Hanumakonda: The BJP-led Central government has become an agent for the corporate houses, Warangal DCC president Naini Rajender Reddy said. Speaking at the dharna organised before the tahsildar's office here on Monday as part of two-day nationwide protest called by the joint forum of central trade unions in protest against Centre's policies affecting workers, farmers, and people.

"Prime Narendra Modi has been trying to bestow the national assets to the corporate in the name of privatising the public sector units (PSUs) that have been serving the country by providing employment to a large number of people," Naini said. On the surface, Modi talks a lot about patriotism but in reality he was playing to the tunes of capitalists, he said, accusing him of selling off the PSUs at throw away prices.

The rise in the prices of petrol, diesel and LPG has made life miserable of the common man at a time when the people are yet to recover from the economic crisis imposed by the coronavirus pandemic. On the other hand, the Centre also trampled the rights of the working class by passing labour codes.

He said that the Centre accumulated Rs 6 lakh crore under the national monetisation pipeline policy (NMP), which unlocks value in brown field projects by engaging the private sector, transferring to them revenue rights to use these funds for infrastructure creation across the country.

He also accused the Centre of transferring 25 to 50 per cent shares of BDL, BEL, BHEL, HAL, Midhani etc based in Hyderabad to capitalists. Now, the Centre's eyes are on selling off the LIC, he added. The Congress will continue to support the trade unions' protests until the Modi government stops its anti-people policies, Naini said.

CPM Hanumakonda secretary M Chukkaiah, Kura Venkat (INTUC), Congress leaders Dommati Sambaiah, women's wing district president Banka Sarala, SC department chairman P Ramakrishna, OBC department chairman Bommati Vikram, Kisan Congress chairman P Venkatram Narasimha Reddy, minority cell chairman Mirza Azizulla Baig were among others present.