11-18-2005, 12:21 PM
Left pressure prompted change in education policy, says Yechury
Special Correspondent
Left tells Government to maintain an independent foreign policy
RED SPIRIT: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee (second from right), CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury, Left party leader B.V. Raghavulu and other delegates at the 12th All India SFI conference in Hyderabad on Thursday. â Photo: D. Gopalakrishnan
HYDERABAD: The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre has decided to bring in policy changes to make education affordable to the poor.
The Centre has promised to introduce a Bill to this effect in the winter session of Parliament, which is slated to start on November 23. It has also expressed its willingness to amend the Constitution to ensure that all sections of society can access education, CPI(M) MP and Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury said. Addressing a public meeting to mark the commencement of the 12th all- India conference of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) here on Thursday, Mr. Yechury said the continuous pressure mounted by the Left., which was extending outside support to the UPA Government, had forced it to adopt a proactive approach towards the education sector. He said the sector was facing a crisis owing to privatisation and commercialisation and the Left had favoured a social or Government control over it.
The Left was watching UPA's activities to ensure that it did not violate the Common Minimum Programme. "There is no threat to the stability of the UPA Government as long as it abides by the CMP," he said. Mr. Yechury said the Left was asking the Government to maintain an independent foreign policy, which was not dictated by the United States.
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said that his Government was trying to obtain loans from external agencies only if it did not involve any conditions. The Government was prepared to forego opportunities of securing loan rather than allowing external agencies such as the World Bank interfere in its fiscal, economic and budgetary matters, he said.
Blaming the Congress for ills such as poverty, unemployment and illiteracy, Mr. Bhattacharjee said the country could not achieve what China could as the Congress was giving relief to the rich who comprised only 12 per cent of the population at the expense of the poor. On the lines of the previous NDA regime, the UPA was adopting pro-US policies to become a "younger brother." CPI(M) State secretary B.V. Raghavulu and SFI general secretary Kallol Roy were among those who spoke. SFI all-India president K.K. Raagesh presided over the meeting.
Special Correspondent
Left tells Government to maintain an independent foreign policy
RED SPIRIT: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee (second from right), CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury, Left party leader B.V. Raghavulu and other delegates at the 12th All India SFI conference in Hyderabad on Thursday. â Photo: D. Gopalakrishnan
HYDERABAD: The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre has decided to bring in policy changes to make education affordable to the poor.
The Centre has promised to introduce a Bill to this effect in the winter session of Parliament, which is slated to start on November 23. It has also expressed its willingness to amend the Constitution to ensure that all sections of society can access education, CPI(M) MP and Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury said. Addressing a public meeting to mark the commencement of the 12th all- India conference of the Students' Federation of India (SFI) here on Thursday, Mr. Yechury said the continuous pressure mounted by the Left., which was extending outside support to the UPA Government, had forced it to adopt a proactive approach towards the education sector. He said the sector was facing a crisis owing to privatisation and commercialisation and the Left had favoured a social or Government control over it.
The Left was watching UPA's activities to ensure that it did not violate the Common Minimum Programme. "There is no threat to the stability of the UPA Government as long as it abides by the CMP," he said. Mr. Yechury said the Left was asking the Government to maintain an independent foreign policy, which was not dictated by the United States.
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said that his Government was trying to obtain loans from external agencies only if it did not involve any conditions. The Government was prepared to forego opportunities of securing loan rather than allowing external agencies such as the World Bank interfere in its fiscal, economic and budgetary matters, he said.
Blaming the Congress for ills such as poverty, unemployment and illiteracy, Mr. Bhattacharjee said the country could not achieve what China could as the Congress was giving relief to the rich who comprised only 12 per cent of the population at the expense of the poor. On the lines of the previous NDA regime, the UPA was adopting pro-US policies to become a "younger brother." CPI(M) State secretary B.V. Raghavulu and SFI general secretary Kallol Roy were among those who spoke. SFI all-India president K.K. Raagesh presided over the meeting.