Left parties condemn lathicharge on farmers at Delhi-UP border

Left parties on Tuesday condemned police lathicharge on farmers at Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border as the farmers tried to enter the capital to reach Mahatma Gandhis samadhi at Rajghat.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India (CPI) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)-Liberation in a joint statement condemned the "brutal" police action and said it exposed the Modi government's anti-farmer face.

"We condemn the brutal attack on protesting farmers. This police action demonstrates the anti-farmer attitude of the Modi government," they said in a statement.

"Prime Minister Modi has betrayed all promises he made to the farmers at the time of 2014 Lok Sabha elections. On the contrary, his policies have deepened agrarian distress forcing thousands of farmers to commit suicide due to debt burden," the statement read.

They also pressed for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into the Rafale fighter jet deal.

"The mega scam in the purchase of the Rafale fighter jet planes must be probed by a Joint Parliamentary Committee. The needle of suspicion points directly towards the Prime Minister," they said.

"In consultation with other Left parties, a nationwide protest action call will be given against this mega scam and for demanding punishment for the guilty," they said.

--IANS

mak/