New Delhi: CPI(M) today accused Trinamool Congress of making "brazen" attempts to protect those guilty in the multi-crore Saradha scam and hampering the probe, saying involvement of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was now coming to the fore.
"CBI investigation into the Saradha chit fund scam is uncovering the nexus between the TMC leadership and the chit fund owner. The involvement of the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other key leaders of TMC is coming into focus," CPI(M) Politburo said after a two-day meeting here.
"The state government is making brazen efforts to protect the guilty and to hamper the investigations," it said, adding that the central investigating agencies should step in to confiscate Saradha Group's properties and compensate lakhs of victims of the scam.
Condemning the "communal campaign" launched by RSS-BJP in Uttar Pradesh, it said "the spurious issue of 'love jihad' is being used by the Hindutva forces to cause communal tensions and polarisation."
Accusing BJP MP Adityanath of using inflammatory communal propaganda in the campaign for the UP bye-elections, it demanded stringent action by the state government "against those indulging in communal hate speech and creating communal tensions."
"Election Commission should have acted promptly in prohibiting Adityanath from making speeches during the election campaign. It has confined the action to directing the administration to file a FIR against him," the CPI(M) said.
The party also expressed deep concern over the severe and widespread floods in Jammu and Kashmir leading to loss of lives, widespread destruction of property and displacement of lakhs of people and said there was an urgent need to immediately step up relief and rescue measures by the Centre.
The CPI(M) also criticised the Narendra Modi government's decision to wind up the Planning Commission and on divesting stake in public sector units.
The decision on the plan panel was "in conformity with neo-liberal view that there is no need for planning in a market-oriented economy. The end of the Planning Commission symbolises the dominance of finance capital-corporate interests over the economy."
On disinvestment, it said the BJP-led government was embarking on this massive disinvestment not only to bridge its fiscal deficit "but to fulfill its ideological commitment against the public sector."
The CPI(M) also protested government moves to "sabotage and subvert the rights of tribal people guaranteed under the constitutional and legal framework", saying the government was now diluting tribal rights by taking away legal provisions like no project can be implemented on tribal land in Fifth Schedule areas without the consent of the tribal gram sabha.
Maintaining that the Environment Ministry recently gave clearances for 240 of the 325 projects involving diversion of 7122 hectares of forest land, it said "here too, the rights of the tribal people are involved."
The party Politburo also conducted an in-depth review of the political-tactical line and a review report would be placed in the next Central Committee meeting.
This is a preparatory step towards preparing the Draft Political Resolution for the next Party Congress, a CPI(M) statement said, adding that it will be held at Vishakhapatnam from April 14 to 19 next year.
