People's Democracy

THE WEEK IN PARLIAMENT

  Subhas Ray

THE first phase of the budget session concluded on March 13; the two houses will now meet on April 7. This 24 days vacation is for scrutiny of the various ministries’ demands for grants by standing committees. 

During the session so far, India’s stand on the war against Iraq has exposed not only the government’s cowardice but also its hidden love for warmongers. There was no mention of the USA in the prime minister’s statement. The government has turned down the opposition’s demand for a unanimous resolution condemning the US threat of a war on Iraq.

BUDGET DISCUSSIONS

On budget, long discussions took place in both houses. In Lok Sabha, the CPI(M)’s Rupchand Pal, Lakshman Seth and Varakala Radhakrishnan said the budget lacked direction. They said it had miserably failed to address the problems of poverty, unemployment, industrial slowdown, negative growth in agriculture, and ailing social sectors. On the other hand, it served the interests of the richer sections. The CPI(M) members said the budget would lead to de-industrialisation.

Rupchand Pal said 98 per cent of the budgetary exercise is pre-determined --- 51 per cent is towards interest payment and 47 per cent for defence, salaries and subsidies put together, though the defence ministry could not spend the allocated money last year. Allocation for elementary education has been reduced. That for rural development has been drastically cut from Rs 15,176 crore to Rs 10,270 crore. Pal expressed concern that over the years the falling customs duty has adversely affected our small industries and agriculture. The government’s commitment to the WTO is at the nation’s cost.

Dealing with the tax-GDP ratio that is hovering around 8 to 9 per cent, he said it is lowest in the world. Then wherefrom the money will come for the infrastructure? The government has neglected the social sectors, like elementary education and health care. There is little welfare for labour. Industries are being closed down. Workers are losing jobs but have no social security. Rulers are selling out even profit making public sector undertakings in the name of ‘reforms.’ The government has as if declared a war against our farmers who are not getting remunerative prices. Small scale industries account for a large quantum in terms of volume, exports and employment. Last year 50 items were taken out of the reserved list; this year another set of items has been dereserved. This will further increase unemployment in the country. Pal then asked the government to reconsider this policy.

Lakshman Seth said no direction was spelt our for eradication of illiteracy, poverty and unemployment. External borrowing is increasing. There is no significant increase in exports; the balance of payments position remains negative. India’s share in global trade is pathetic; it has hardly crossed 0.5 per cent in the last ten years. Whatever the euphoria about foreign exchange reserves, FDI, globalisation etc, the fact is that crores of people are poverty-stricken, unemployed and illiterate. Seth dubbed the budget as anti-worker and anti-people. The rates of interest on the people’s savings and PF have been reduced. This BJP-led government is the only government to have created a new ministry of disinvestment to sell the country’s assets. They are bent upon disinvesting the profit making BPCL and HPCL. But in the budget, nothing has been said about the funds collected from disinvestment.

Seth also took up the issue of uneven development of various parts of the country and held the government’s policies as responsible. For example, the freight equalisation policy benefited the western parts of our country at the cost of eastern parts that have lost their natural advantage about installation of industries. Some states are pampered and others discriminated. This attitude of the centre must change. Gas is an important item of economic growth. But no steps have been taken to ensure its supply in the eastern region, thereby adding to its backwardness. The region is not paid attention in the matter of infrastructure development, national highways, etc. Seth asked the finance minister to heed to the government of West Bengal’s proposal to construct a bridge on the Hooghly, between Rochak and Kukrahiti, for better connectivity between Haldia and Kolkata. He concluded by warning that, technologically or financially, we are not prepared against the onslaught of globalisation that threatens to turn our country into a pocket borough of the multinationals.

Varakala Radhakrishnan warned that in case of a war against Iraq, all the budget’s planning would go haywire. So the foremost task must be to prevent a war. About the crisis in agriculture in Kerala, he said it was high time we reviewed the ‘reform’ process. Production of rubber, tea, coffee and cardamom, Kerala’s main products, has suffered a serious decline due to liberal imports of agriculture produce. This has also caused a fall in rural employment. Hence the government must take steps to alter its agreement with the WTO. He said unemployment is a serious problem for the educated unemployed and the government has to find a permanent solution to it.

ATROCITIES AGAINST DALITS

Lok Sabha held a discussion on atrocities against Dalits. Participating in the discussion, the CPI(M)’s Ram Chandra Dome and S Ajay Kumar  reminded the house that the feudal mindset, the semi-feudal and semi-capitalist structure of our society are the root causes for this evil. Atrocities on Dalits in Indian society are continuing for thousands of years. Dome said the Dalit people who constitute a sizeable part of our population are oppressed because of the caste system. The class interest of the ruling classes demands its continuation. So the ruling class parties do not want to implement the constitutional provisions or the act for abolition of untouchability. Nor are they interested in making institutional arrangements like setting up of monitoring committees and special courts as required by the SC-ST Act 1989. Rather they want to defeat the very purpose of the act. 

Education is one of the effective instruments for promoting socio-economic development. But the literacy rate of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes in 1991 census was 37.41 and 29.60 per cent respectively, against 57.69 per cent for other communities. The SCs and STs lack quality education to compete for higher positions in government. As on January 1, 2000, SCs accounted for only 11.29 per cent in Group A services of the government of India and 12.68 per cent in Group B services, as against their population of about 16.5 per cent.

Landlessness is one of the main causes of the Dalits remaining socially and economically backward. A majority of Dalit masses are living in villages.  Nearly 80 per cent of them are landless agricultural workers. This is the picture after 56 years of independence. This requires political will to implement the schemes meant for them, including land reforms. Their properties, interests and employment opportunities must be protected, especially in the era of globalisation and privatisation.

Ajay Kumar said atrocities on SCs and STs are on the rise year after year.  They are on decline only in three states --- West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura.  During the last three years there was not a single case of atrocity on SC/ST people in West Bengal. These states have almost ended such atrocities through effective implementation of land reform. However, in Kerala where caste discrimination was on a decline due to land reforms, the atrocities against the SCs and STs are unfortunately on the rise again in the last two years. We are ashamed to state that about 100 Dalits were killed in Kerala in the last one year. The government’s disinvestment policy has also resulted in denial of reservation in employment for these people. Therefore the centre must immediately look into the matter, he demanded.

PEASANTS’ PROBLEMS

During the Lok Sabha discussion on peasants’ problems, Nikhilananda Sar, CPI(M), said nearly 70 per cent of the population, consisting of middle peasants, small and marginal cultivators and agricultural labourers, earn their bread from agricultural activities. In order to get a good harvest, they need good seeds and pesticides, which are controlled mainly by multinationals. Public sector fertiliser units are closing down one after another. Fertiliser prices are continuously on rise. Denationalisation of banks is in the offing. Rural credit is in the hands of private moneylenders. Water and power charges are zooming up as the government goes on reducing the subsidies. Facing so many obstacles, however, peasants finally fail to get remunerative prices of their produce.

Referring to the effects of pro-imperialist globalisation, Sar said it spells miseries for rural people. A looting spree is on in the name of privatisation. Privatisation of land, water, jungles, even of rivers is taking place. Many state governments have amended the ceiling provision to enable the big business and multinational companies to purchase vast tracts of land. Tamilnadu government has launched a scheme of handing over 50 lakh acres of government wasteland to multinational companies. Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and other states are to follow the suit. Privatisation is not going to spare even water. A forum under World Bank has said water must be treated as an economic good and consumers charged the full cost of water services. Chhattisgarh is the first state to move in this direction. In regard to subsidy, a hue and cry is being raised against subsidy for agriculture. The fact is that the government provides only 3 per cent subsidy to the sector, in contrast to huge subsidies to farmers in developed countries. This government has opened our market for foreign looters and forced the Indian farming community to compete with their highly subsidised products. Sar asked: how can Indian peasants ever hope to compete in such an unequal contest? The BJP-led government has removed all quantitative restrictions on import of agricultural commodities. On the other hand, it is also disbanding the public distribution system. If no radical changes are made, India will be a net importer of foodgrains within a few years, Sar warned.

Sar said there is a clear-cut example of how the plight of rural people could be mitigated, food production increased and the life of rural people bettered through effective land reforms. Land reform is a panacea for all problems in rural India. West Bengal has got worldwide acclaim for effective land reforms and panchayati raj. He then asked: why cannot other states follow this example? What stands in the way except the naked class interest of ruling classes?

During his intervention, Sar also said the ministry of environment and forests has issued a circular for eviction of all such tribals and non-tribals whom it treats as encroachers. Some 10 million tribals are going to be affected as most of them have no legal record even though they are living in forest areas for decades.