The Hindu : National : Prakash Karat rejects Ramdev's charges

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Friday, Jan 06, 2006

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Prakash Karat rejects Ramdev's charges

Special Correspondent

"CPI(M) in the forefront of opposing multi-national corporations" "The economic growth was good but it had benefited only a few making them wealthier"

SAYING IT WITH BILLS: CPI (M) General Secretary Prakash Karat, showing the cash bills of an Ayurvedic pharmacy from where Brinda Karat bought medicines manufactured by Yoga guru Swamy Ramdev. — Photo: Mohammed Yousuf

HYDERABAD: CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat on Thursday made light of the protests against the party in New Delhi for its stand on Swamy Ramdev's herbal medicine and rubbished the campaign that it had acted at the behest of the multinational corporations.

Mr. Karat told presspersons that it was ridiculous for anyone to hurl such accusations against a party that had been in the forefront of opposing MNCs. Everyone knew its stand and contribution to the fields of patents and Intellectual Property Rights.

The issue was not between two individuals as was made out, but of protecting the rights of 112 dismissed workers, and of adulteration of herbal medicines with animal parts, he said. Preliminary reports of the tests conducted on the medicine brought by workers of the Swamy's pharmacy had confirmed the charge. "All we want now is a thorough inquiry," he added.

He denied the Swamy's supporters' charge that the medicines in which this was found was bought from pharmacy other than that belonging to him and showed a receipt to the contrary.

His party had no problem with the way the Swamy has been promoting yoga but not the way people were being deceived by the medicine. "In the name of faith, one cannot pass off anything he likes."

Mr. Karat said that it was unfortunate that the Gujarat Government and police had filed cases against relatives who had found a mass grave of victims of communal riots of 2002. A team of MPs from various political parties would be sent there on a fact-finding mission.

He said the party would submit a proposal to the Coordination Committee and the UPA Government next week on ways of mobilising resources for the social sector including education, health and employment. The move comes on the eve of the preparation of Union Budget next month. The economic growth was good but it had benefited only a few making them wealthier. "We need to raise resources from these sections," he added pointing to the poor tax-GDP ratio.

Killing of tribals

On the killing of tribals in police firing in Orissa, the CPI(M) leader said the Government there had been "totally callous". The demand for compensation and resettlement by tribals who would lose their land and livelihood was met with "brutal repression." He also wanted a review of the policy of allowing foreign and Indian companies to exploit minerals for export without concern for the country's future requirement.

On the forthcoming visit of U.S. President George Bush to India, Mr. Karat said a countrywide protest campaign would be launched by the party against the U.S. policies of aggression, violation of national sovereignty of various countries and continuous occupation of Iraq.

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