The Union Govt Must Abide By

The CMP: Yechury, Biswas

B Prasant

 THE UPA-led union government must try to follow the content and spirit of the Common Minimum Programme (CMP). The CPI(M) has no desire to serve an ultimatum on the new government.  No such situation should be created in which the CPI(M) has to withdraw its support.  The union government should be run based on mutual understanding.

If the Congress-led UPA government swung away from the direction depicted in the CMP, the CPI(M) will stand opposed to the move.  However, the CPI(M) remained sharply aware of the need to ensure that the communal BJP did not return to office in any manner or way.  This was stated at separate programmes by CPI(M) Polit Bureau members, Sitaram Yechury and Anil Biswas on July 16 in Kolkata.

Addressing meetings held at two chambers of commerce, Yechury made it quite clear that the union budget was not the expected one with a human face. The CPI(M) is opposed to such issues as increase of foreign direct investment (FDI) in insurance, civil aviation, and telecommunication sectors. Yechury recalled that the CPI(M) had opposed FDI in the insurance sector back in 1996-1997 when a United Front government held office in Delhi, specifically opposing the IRDA bill.

The principal reason why the Left supported the UPA government was to maintain the secular character of the nation’s fabric.  There might well be differences on the economic front but no move would be made to give the BJP an extra inch of political advantage. The Congress must understand and appreciate the circumstances in which the UPA governance was set in motion.  The difference between the UPA and the BJP-led NDA must be made palpably clear before the people at large.

Explaining the point of view of the CPI(M), Yechury said that the electorate nationwide voted in favour of maintaining the national integrity and political morality, and against economic reforms of the anti-people kind. The people looked to some steps taken in the union budget for the improvement of the lives and livelihoods. The people’s verdict was reflected in the CMP but not in full in the budget.

The budget, said the CPI(M) leader, did contain certain positive steps.  But it lacks the kind of human face that was expected from it to project among the people.  The budget, indeed, has lost an opportunity to improve the lives of the people, increase demand and purchasing power, and put the economy on rails by generating a large quantum of employment.

Speaking on the CPI(M)’s outlook on FDI, Sitaram Yechury said that if such a move enhanced production, brought in new technological innovations, and increase employment, “we would not oppose it.”  However, the three areas in which the budget has invited FDI would bring profits to the MNC’s alone.  This has to be opposed.  The CPI(M) is also opposed to the move by the union government to disinvest 5 per cent of the shares of the NTPC.  The budget has moved away from the pledge in the CMP that profit earning PSUs would not be made to go in for disinvestment in any manner.  The CPI(M) would oppose in the parliament if and when a bill was brought before it regarding the lifting and increasing the ceiling on FDI.

Elsewhere, addressing the media at the Muzaffar Ahmad Bhavan the same afternoon, state secretary of the Bengal CPI(M), Anil Biswas said that the UPA government must respect the popular verdict that brought it to office.  It is the union government’s commitment and responsibility to do so all the time in every policy matters.  If the union government flouted this responsibility, the CPI(M) will oppose it.  The people’s verdict is something, which cannot be trifled with.  However, there was no question about withdrawal of support from the government. 

The CPI(M) supports the UPA government based on the issue of secularism.  “We shall ensure that the communal BJP never got back the opportunity to crawl back to office.”  “Our opposition to the UPA government will be confined to deviation both from the popular verdict and from the CMP and the stability of the government has nothing to do with this.”