Below we publish reports from the states on the protests organised by the Left Parties demanding the central government to sharply reduce the excise duties on petroleum products, and reduce its prices.
West Bengal

THE US has bought up the entire stock of Remdesivir from Gilead, making it near impossible for this drug to be available anywhere else in the world. This has made all the more urgent that we break Gilead’s patent and issue compulsory license to Indian drug companies to manufacture the drug. The Indian Patent Act, 2005 in which the Left played a very important role, has clear provisions for compulsory licensing during a health emergency or an epidemic. Covid-19 is obviously both.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on July 1, 2020
THE announcements made by the prime minister yesterday are totally inadequate to meet the crisis of survival and livelihood being faced by crores of our people.  The provision of five kg of foodgrains and one kg of pulses is grossly inadequate to meet the survival needs of the people who have been deprived of their livelihood or food for over three months. 10 kg of foodgrain per individual per month for a period of six months is the minimum that needs to be ensured.

AS per the CPI(M) Polit Bureau call for June 16, the Party in Maharashtra mobilised over 13,200 people at 203 centres in 60 tehsils of 21 districts on the four major demands directed against the Modi-led BJP central government. It was the largest mass action by the Party in the last three months of the Covid-19 lockdown and was covered by sections of the mainstream media in some districts and by the social media widely.

THE Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch extends its support to the demand made by several dalit activists and organisations for the removal of the Manu statue in the premises of the High Court at Jaipur. This statue was placed there 31 years ago by a group of advocates who wanted to pay homage to him as a lawmaker.