People's Democracy

What About Us?

G Mamatha

“It is we who ploughed the prairies; built the cities where they trade;

Dug the mines and built the workshops, endless miles of railroad laid;

Now we stand outcast and starving midst the wonders we have made”

BUDGETS come and budgets go, but what about us? This year too, the total planned budget allocation for the Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) for the year 2012-13 has once again failed to meet its target. For the Special Component Plan (SCP) for the Scheduled Castes, the allocation has been Rs 37,113.03 crore, which is only 9.3 per cent as against the government's own target of 16.2 per cent. The Tribal Sub plan has been allocated Rs 21,710.11 crore, which is 5.4 per cent as against the targeted 8.2 per cent. This is what the finance minister did to the welfare of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. One should not thus get fooled by the grandiose announcement made by the finance minister that there is an 18 per cent increase in the SCP compared to the last budget.  It might be this 'statistical jugglery' that makes the life of finance minister 'not easy' and so 'burdensome'!

Poor finance minister, of course, is representing the Government of India and is reiterating its philosophy of governance. According to the Economic Survey of India, which was presented to the parliament by the very same finance minister a day before presenting the budget, the share of expenditure on social services to GDP has gone down from 7.34 per cent in 2010-2011 to 6.74 per cent in 2011-2012. This means that the money spent by the government on education, health and such other activities had declined. To be precise, education expenditure has come down from 3.25 per cent to 3.11 per cent and health from 1.35 per cent to 1.30 per cent. Not only that; the expenditure on the welfare of SC, ST and OBCs was reduced from 0.67 per cent to 0.57 per cent. So, he is 'cruel' to the poor, in order to be 'kind' to the rich. So much so for the concern towards the aam aadmi!

This is, of course, nothing but expected. The government and the leading party in the UPA coalition, are thinking that just by 'eating and sleeping in dalit bastis', they could pose as working for their welfare. Otherwise, how could one explain the audacity of the 'prince charming', who declared that the FDI in retail is good for the poor of our country. Just because they are so much cut off from the reality, they were shown their place in the recently concluded elections. Alas, the thud with which they had fallen, too, failed to awaken them to reality.

Their arrogance – reflecting the class arrogance of the ruling classes – is expressed in one statement made by the finance minister in the course of his budget speech: “Various players, including policy makers, politicians, agriculturists and business houses, participate in the making of the economy”. Where are we, the workers, who toil in the fields, factories and are found everywhere? Do not forget that the budget papers presented to the parliament, the car in which the finance minister travels and the very parliament that they adore, are all there due to the workers. But according to him, we do not have any role in the 'making of the economy'. Just recently when we had gone on a one-day strike in February, then why did the government cry hoarse about the 'loss to the economy'? They know that the 'wheels of economy' do not move without the workers, but only want to deny their role in building the society – 'the Ambanis and Tatas build the society, the workers do not'. To establish this, they go on indulging in Gobblesian propaganda, 'repeating a lie many times, that it becomes a truth' and to sow seeds of doubt even among the workers about their role in wealth creation, their abilities and kill their self-belief in their innate strength. This very class hatred is found in the writings of one of the columnists of a reputed newspaper, who could not digest the 'stench of sweat'. Her advice to all is, use deodorants and perfumes. Though it is not 1789, there is no dearth of Marie Antoinettes in our country!

The ruling class bias of the government is visible throughout the budget. They do not want the children of the deprived sections to study further than obtaining knowledge to differentiate various products in the market. That is the reason why the government did not increase the post-matric scholarships. Sorry, in fact, it had reduced the allocations from Rs 2,441.7 crores to Rs 1,500 crores. This bias is visible throughout the budget, where only 25 departments had allocated for the SCs and 28 for the STs while the rule states that all the ministries and departments should have separate allocations. If the government thinks that it can ensure social justice through these measly allocations, it is living in a fool’s paradise.

The reality is, the government is clear of its objectives. It knows to whom it should be 'cruel' and to whom it should be 'kind'. The tax concessions given to the corporates and rich make it doubly clear. What it is trying to do is, to fool people with its 'sugary' words and symbolic acts. It is time for us to see through these evil designs and unite to fight for our rights. We are all eagerly looking forward to the 20th Congress of the CPI (M) to show us the way – expose the government, unite and organise for mightier struggles.

“All the world that's owned by idle drones is ours and ours alone.

We have laid the wide foundations; built it skyward stone by stone.

It is ours, not to slave in, but to master and to own.

They have taken untold millions that they never toiled to earn,

But without our brain and muscle not a single wheel can turn.

We can break their haughty power, gain our freedom when we learn

That the union makes us strong”.