Claiming success in stalling FDI in retail, the CPI(M) Wednesday demanded an immediate ban on forward trading in all agriculture commodities, rollback of petrol prices and release of excess foodgrains in government stocks.
"We are happy that this time the government has yielded without waiting for the washout of the entire Parliament session. This time they have relented mid-way through the session by agreeing to suspend the decision on FDI in retail," CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury told reporters in Delhi.
Asked whether the CPI(M) had gone back on its demand for complete rollback of the FDI decision, he said, "As long as we, as a political party, are part of the stakeholders, there cannot be a consensus."
He pointed out that the government has announced that no decision would be taken in this matter till a consensus is reached in discussions with all stakeholders.
On Trinamool Congress claiming credit for the suspension of the FDI decision, Yechury said the CPI(M) had been consistently opposing the move since 2004.
"We stopped this from happening from 2004. P Chidambaram, the Finance Minister in UPA-I, had made the announcement in the first budget speech," he said.
Yechury said that the CPI(M) will now try to impress upon the government to immediately ban all forward trading in all agriculture commodities.
Besides this, he said the party will also demand a rollback in the hike in petrol prices as the oil marketing companies have been making profits.
Contending that there was excess stock of foodgrains, he said the CPI(M) wanted it to be released to states at BPL prices so that grain prices can be stabilised.
