CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has urged prime minister Narendra Modi to take measures  on war footing to protect lives and provide relief to the people of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands from Covid-19 pandemic. He urged the PM to take steps to set up more testing and health centres in the islands. He also sought to provide better internet connectivity in the islands owing to the large distance between them.

CPI(M) general secretary, Sitaram Yechury, wrote a letter to the chief election commissioner, Sunil Arora on June 29, objecting to the unilateral measures being taken by the Election Commission, altering electoral procedures, without consulting political parties.

Yechury wrote, “We are greatly disturbed by the media reports that the Election Commission of India (ECI) bypassing the established practice of consulting political parties, is unilaterally initiating measures to provide voters aged over 64 years, the use of postal ballots.”

Leaders of eight political parties – CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML), AIFB, RSP, LJD, RJD and VCK – in a letter addressed to the president of India on May 11, demanded the immediate release of opposition leaders and human rights activists and called for an end to a politics of vendetta against protesters and political dissenters. They expressed concern and condemnation at the spate of arrests of students and activists under the draconian UAPA during the time when the country and people are dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, on April 26, wrote to Prime minister Narendra Modi on the measures that need to be put in place in order to fight and defeat the Covid-19 pandemic. He said that the sudden and abrupt announcement of the lockdown had left the people and the state governments completely unprepared to meet the grave consequences and suggested 12 measures that are needed to be taken by the government.

Below we publish the full text of the letter addressed to the president of India by CPI(M) general secretary, Sitaram Yechury,  on April 6, urging the president to prevail upon the central government to take  action on the measures suggested in the letter to control Covid-19 pandemic.

I AM writing to you, as you are the custodian of the Indian Constitution under whose sanction and authority, the central government functions.