People's Democracy

SEVERAL trade unions, mass organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and intellectuals of Orissa, which is often regarded as a backward state in regard to democratic struggles, have formed a rainbow coalition to launch a campaign against the disastrous policies of the central and state governments. Termed as "Campaign Against Ruinous Fiscal Reforms" (CARFIR), the coalition was formed on June 23 in a convention held at Bhubaneswar and attended by more than 500 delegates from as many as 68 organisations.

The formation of such a broad-based coalition was unimaginable a few years back.

Inaugurating the convention, former Lok Sabha speaker Rabi Roy scathingly attacked the NDA government’s pro-imperialist economic policies and the support extended to it by the Congress and some other parties. He asked the delegates to build a united, powerful resistance to these disastrous policies.

Presenting the keynote address, CPI(M) state secretariat member Santosh Das detailed the situation that brought about such a coalition in Orissa. He said privatisation, downsizing and abolition of posts and departments, and imposition or hike of users charges, etc, have been accelerated in Orissa with a maniac zeal. This is according to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) the BJP-led central government and the Congress government of Orissa had signed about three years back, on April 15, 1999. (That means the MoU was signed just two days before the Vajpayee government lost its confidence motion because of the controversial vote of Giridhar Gomango, the then Congress chief minister of Orissa.)

This process is squandering the state’s rich resources, and increasing its indebtedness and the people’s impoverishment. As if this was not sufficient, the BJP-led NDA government again forced the later BJD-BJP government of Orissa to sign a second MoU on October 10, 2001, the terms of which were dictated by the British consultancy firm Department For International Development (DFID) and were more ruinous. When the conditionalities of the MoU were being finalised in the five-star Hotel Crown on June 29, 2001, thousands of demonstrators belonging to various trade unions, mass organisations and NGOs staged a demonstration against such a deal. But in order to appease their imperial masters, the government of Orissa let loose the police upon the demonstrators and arrested all of them. It was while in the police camp that the demonstrators decided to form a united platform to coordinate and carry forward the struggle against these ruinous ‘reforms.’

Terming the June 23 convention a historic one, Das outlined the disastrous effects of the so-called ‘reforms’ on our economic sovereignty, federalism, democracy and people’s welfare. He highlighted the 10 objectives of the CARFIR whose cardinal aim is to coordinate, intensify and broaden the struggle against the ruinous ‘reforms.’

As many as nine base papers were presented, covering the impact of the ‘reforms’ on different sectors of the economy and sections of society. These included effects on (1) agriculture and food security, (2) our economic sovereignty, federalism and democracy, (3) the state governments and state public sector undertakings, (4) education, (5) financial sector, (6) women, (7) tribals, (8) people’s health, and (9) energy sector. As many as 14 speakers from the sponsoring organisations extensively spoke on the disastrous effects of the ‘reforms’ with special reference to Orissa.

Finally, Abani Baral (CPI) placed the declaration of the convention. The latter unanimously resolved to form the CARFIR, to form a struggle council with one member from each sponsoring organisation, and to organise a massive state level gherao of the DFID on August 9, the 60th anniversary of the Quite India movement.

Summing up the debate on behalf of the presidium, former CPI(M) MP Sivaji Patnaik said the challenge is unprecedented and to our very existence. We have to put in all our efforts so as to rebuff this challenge. The first task is to carry the message to the masses who have been misled and to awaken them. Campaigns must be launched to make the August 9 programme a grand success.

The convention had a presidium based on Duti Krishna Panda and Abani Baral (CPI), Sivaji Patnaik and Santosh Das (CPI-M), Prafulla Samantaray and Buddha Gamang. The steering committee comprised Dushmanta Das, Suresh Panigrahi, Rajendra Sarangi and Sudhir Patnaik.