A protest was organised by the Communist Party of India (CPI-M) Greater Visakha City Committee at the Gandhi Statue near GVMC on Wednesday to deplore the ‘pro-rich’ and ‘anti-poor’ Union Budget-2022, which was presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
City Committee secretary M. Jaggunaidu has alleged that the budget intends to hand over the public assets to corporate groups. He also deplored the announcement in the budget that privatisation measures would be hastened even as farmers and workers were agitating against privatisation and corporatisation.
He alleged that the rich, who form 10% of the total population, were being extended concessions while the poor and middle-class people were being taxed. He demanded that the rich be taxed more. While no plans were announced for the creation of more jobs, existing employment was being lost as the allocations for MGNREGA was reduced. There was no reduction in IT for employees, he said.
B. Ganga Rao, CPI(M) leader and corporator from Ward 78 in the Greater Visakhapatnam Municipal Corporation (GVMC), said that injustice was done to Andhra Pradesh in the budget. There was no allocation of funds for the Visakhapatnam Railway Zone, Ramayyapatnam Port, Kadapa Steel Plant, Polavaram project, Metro Rail and no special package for the backward districts of north Andhra and Rayalaseema, as assured in the A.P. Reorganisation Act, 2014.
He said that VSP was not allocated captive mines and the cut in subsidies on fertilizers and petrol, would make the lives of the poor miserable.
Meanwhile, the relay hunger strikes being organised under the aegis of All Trade Unions and People’s Organisations at the Gandhi Statue, opposing the privatisation of VSP, continued for the 307th day on Wednesday.
