Thiruvananthapuram: CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury said that the party was preparing ground for a joint platform of non-BJP state governments to fight against Centre's demonetisation. "There are two issues that need to be looked into. One is regarding the GST and the meetings of the council are on. Another one is that many states have reported considerable dip in their revenues following demonetisation. Kerala finance minister has estimated a 25 per cent loss. If that is the case then many things will have to be recalculated not only the GST," he said.
The CPM general secretary said the Centre will have to provide assistance to the states to tide of the crisis triggered by demonetisation, adding that there has been a 32 per cent rise in distress suicides of farmers. CPM will launch a nationwide protest and campaign on the following demands: removal all restrictions on withdrawals, debt waiver for farmers, double allocation for MNREGA, tax rebate to SMEs, no coercion on people to shift to digital transactions and ensuring supplies for all ration card holders.
