People's Democracy

THE winter session of parliament also saw the main opposition party, BJP, irresponsibly forcing adjournment of both houses for three days on the Volcker issue. On November 23, the first day, both the houses were adjourned after paying homage to their deceased members. But, from the next day, the BJP began to vociferously demand in Lok Sabha a discussion on its adjournment motion on the Volcker committee findings and the resignation of Natwar Singh, minister without portfolio, disrupting the proceedings. Slogan shouting NDA members forced the speaker to admit an adjournment motion regarding alleged involvement of some Indian entities and individuals as non-contractual beneficiaries of the United Nations’ oil for food programme for Iraq.

However, during the debate on the motion, the CPI(M)’s Rupchand Pal and Md Salim thoroughly exposed the BJP’s stance, as did Sitaram Yechury in Rajya Sabha. They said the NDA people were only espousing the US’s cause while ignoring the real issues like hunger in Iraq and the American crimes on Iraqi people. This NDA attitude was against the parliament’s resolution opposing the US invasion of Iraq.

During the debate in Lok Sabha, Rupchand Pal said the so-called UN sanctions took 15 lakh Iraqi lives, all civilians including more than 5 lakh children. He asked who were the biggest beneficiaries in those 15 years preceding and following the sanctions. Eighty per cent of Iraq’s looted wealth went to the US oil multinationals through smuggling, underpricing and other methods. Yet the Volcker committee did not name even a single such company.

Even before its reports came, Pal said, many people questioned its credibility. For instance, a report in The Wall Street Journal by a former associate editor said the Volcker report was just another trick of the US’s neo-cons to blow away anyone who gets in the way of their plan of global domination. Paul Volcker has only helped in this plan. Moreover, there is a pattern in its accusations; it accuses those who opposed the sanctions and invasion. It ignored the patent wrongs committed by US imperialism, like fixing the price of oil of another sovereign country or taking away the latter’s sovereign rights. Not only that, a big part of the 69 million barrels of Iraqi oil was lifted by an American company, IRCON. But Volcker has ignored all this. No wonder, hence, that the world has treated his report with indifference. Pal concluded with the demand of a thorough inquiry into the US misdeeds in Iraq.

Md Salim reminded that the day the Volcker committee’s final report came out, the CPI(M) demanded an inquiry to find out the facts while the BJP began to harp on certain persons’ resignation. But the truth needs to be unearthed. He reminded that international law allows a sovereign country to take measures, including taxation, to save its people. But this they say was Iraq’s guilt! The CPI(M) MP quipped that, today, efforts are on to convert the UNO into UNA, i e the United Nations of America. As for the BJP people claiming to be clean, the Vajpayee-Advani dispensation should have instituted an inquiry into the matter in 2004 itself. But it is only now that an inquiry has been instituted. Turning to the BJP benches, Md Salim asked whom they wanted to please by getting Natwar Singh sacked from the external affairs ministry. Is it that all such people whom Washington does not like need to be sacked?

From the treasury benches, the information and broadcasting minister, finance minister, petroleum minister and the prime minister put the BJP on the mat. In the end, opposition leader L K Advani had to concede that the need of moving an adjournment motion won’t have arisen if the government and Congress party had taken in the very beginning the stand they took later.

After the prime minister’s assurance on the day that no one guilty would go unpunished and truth would prevail in this matter, it was thought that the issue was almost dead. But on December 2, both the houses again plunged into turmoil after fresh allegations against Natwar Singh. Aniel Matherani, Indian ambassador to Croatia, reportedly told India Today that he was a witness to Natwar Singh’s involvement in the oil for food deal. Amidst commotion, the prime minister reiterated in Lok Sabha that the government was determined to go to the root of the matter and establish the truth. Yet the opposition kept harping on Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s resignation, which led to adjournment of both houses till on December 5.

On November 29, Lok Sabha had a discussion on the home minister’s statement regarding terrorist attacks in Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir as well as Naxalite attacks in Jehanabad (Bihar) and Giridih (Jharkhand). From the CPI(M) side, Nikhilananda Sar said when terrorist activities take place in Delhi and other such places, no doubt there are serious lapses in vigilance. Hence we require more vigilance and a better intelligence set-up. At the same time, people’s cooperation is earnestly required to deal with the situation. So far as the north eastern states are concerned, he charged the government with making compromises with divisive forces. Many parties too have links with disruptive forces for narrow political gains, thus jeopardising the nation’s integrity.

Regarding the Naxalite movement, Sar cited the example of West Bengal, the birthplace of this movement, where the menace has been effectively controlled through land reform measures. In West Bengal, land movement got momentum during the United Front government in 1967-69, under the CPI(M) leadership. Later, the Left Front government distributed thousands of acres of land, grabbed by landlords, among the landless; gave them ample credit and developed minor irrigation. Sar said land reform measures would not only remedy many of the ills inflicting India but also help increase food production and income generation for the poor.

But while the CPI(M) has consistently been demanding initiate land reforms in all the states, the government paid no heed. The states are evading this issue because of landlords’ hold. This is the crux of many crucial problems in India. Disparity between the rich and the poor has grown manifold. Tribal people too are facing the threat of being evicted from forestlands. But no talk of better weapons can solve the problems unless the root causes are removed. Sar said there is need to take up pro-people measures to remove discontent.

In Rajya Sabha, the CPI(M)’s Brinda Karat expressed strong concern over the violation of civil liberties due to non-implementation of the POTA review panel’s recommendations. She said the plight of those held under POTA is a very crucial issue of civil liberties and requires urgent intervention because of the relevant authorities’ refusal to implement the said recommendations. The POTA review committee said there was not sufficient evidence against many of those held under POTA and they should be released, yet they are still languishing in jails. These include 85 persons held in the Godhra case. Two of them died in judicial custody; some are sick but not being given the required treatment.

On the other hand, many perpetrators of communal genocide have not been arrested even though they were identified. In Gujarat, eye witnesses and victims’ survivors are being intimidated. Comprehensive rehabilitation of the survivors is yet to be done.

Brinda Karat therefore urged the government to take appropriate measures to ensure implementation of the POTA review committee recommendations, hand the major cases over to the CBI as recommended by the NHRC, and take appropriate measures to help the victims who require rehabilitation and compensation.

In Rajya Sabha, P Madhu, CPI(M), forcefully demanded central legislation to enforce reservations in private professional colleges. He said the Supreme Court’s judgement of August 12, 2005, setting aside reservations for meritorious and SC/ST students in such colleges, is beset with serious consequences.

Madhu reminded how, because of historical factors, provisions were made in the constitution of India for reservations to enable the traditionally oppressed classes to catch up with the rest of society. But the latest judgement is a blow to this core concept and provides an impetus to commercialisation of higher education where only profit motive dominates. As per its neo-liberal policy, the state has been steadily withdrawing from the field of higher education, providing greater space for private players. Justice therefore demands that the government of India to come forward with a central legislation to overcome the limitations imposed by the apex court verdict and provide for reservations for the needy.

OTHER ISSUES

During the Rajya Sabha discussion on Disaster Management Bill 2005, the CPI(M)’s Prasanta Chatterjee said floods, droughts, cyclones, landslides and quakes have become almost a regular feature in our country. Disaster management should not be only relief centred; rather it should also take care of prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, relief and rehabilitation. The most important thing is to strengthen its organisational and administrative structures. In case of a national disaster or calamity, the post- and pre-disaster management must be different. When such a situation arises, the people run to the local bodies and elected representatives for redressal of their grievances. Therefore, involvement of elected representatives and local bodies is essential. Training of the officials and staff and the people’s awareness very important in facing a disaster situation. The financial and other support need to be augmented. Time must be fixed for giving compensation to the victims. Construction of houses with latest technology and a solution of the problem of unauthorised constructions in metropolitan areas are important for facing such situations.

In Lok Sabha, the CPI(M)’s Swadesh Chakraborty expressed concern over the proposed withdrawal of existing tax exemptions on savings instruments at all the three stages of contribution, accumulation and withdrawal, in favour of the EET system. He lashed out at the government that imposing a tax on withdrawals is nothing but a cruelty on the people. This will not only discourage the savings by a vast section of people; it will doom the institutions like LIC, GIC and PFO. Over the years, the government has cut down the administered interest rate on all such instruments from 12 per cent in June 2000 to 8 per cent since 2002, and not responded to the unanimous trade union demand for restoration of the rate to 12 per cent. The move to tax the withdrawals is a further attack on employees, workers and the saving public. Chakraborty urged upon the government to give up this retrograde move and continue the old EEE mode for all savings instruments.