The Rao Government's economic policy has unfolded itself as 'Pro-rich' and 'anti-poor', as aggressively pro-multinationals and monopolies and anti-public sector industries and local industries.
Despite the Government's tall claims of declining inflation, the common man finds the prices of foodstuff and other daily necessities soaring beyond his reach. The market remains within the clutches of profiteers and black-marketeers. Yet the Rao Government, when it came to power in 1991, had solemnly pledged to bring down prices to the level of the previous year. This has turned out to be nothing but a hoax to deceive the suffering people.
Foodgrains production and stocks are at a record level, but per capita consumption is declining and offtake from public distribution system has fallen due to lack of purchasing power of the masses.
The value of the rupee is sliding sharply and trade deficit is growing.
Budget deficit continues to be high and unchecked, chiefly due to squandering of public funds and profligate spending by the powers that be.
Domestic savings stagnate at a low level.
The country's debts have reached astronomical figures.
The problems of poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and disease so far from being tackled, are getting aggravated as a result of structural adjustment programme dictated by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and the new trade regime imposed by the World Trade Organisation. The worst victims of the new economic policies are the people below the poverty line.
The policy of liberalisation, globalisation and privatisation has struck a heavy blow at the self-reliant path of development for a big country like ours with abundant resources. Public enterprises built with the sweat and toil of our people are being privatised, and public assets are being given away to private parties, -- both foreign and Indian. MNCs are acquiring grip over vital sectors of our economy and in consumer industries, depriving large sections of our people of their livelihood. In collaboration with local monopolies they are capturing large space in our markets, pushing aside local artisans, small scale industries, and even some medium and large scale ones.
The much tom-tomed figures of growth do not reflect a picture of development with social justice, but a distorted picture of affluence for the top 7 or 8 crores of our population, and misery and insecurity for the rest 85 crores.
Under the Rao regime heavy blows were struck at the secular foundations of our Republic. A sense of alienation and insecurity overtook the minorities, who do not look upon this government as a protector of their life and property.
Corruption has reached new qualitative dimensions under the Rao govt., with every passing day exposing a new scam, each bigger and more scandalous than the one earlier. Securities scam, sugar scam, disinvestment scam, Bailadilla deal, telecom scam, railway gauge scam, Purulia arms-drop scandal, the defence scam, and now the havala racket have polluted our democratic system and life. Even the country's security has been at stake in some of these scams.
There is today a growing nexus between money power breeding corruption and the latter breeding criminals and mafia elements who manouevre politics with the help of their benefactors. The growing criminalisation of politics, the politicisation of criminals and criminals rising to high positions represent a grave danger to democracy and social life.
A creeping paralysis has overtaken the executive pillar of our democracy during Rao's tenure allowing grave issues to remain unresolved and for unsolved problems to become festering sores. The legislative pillar has been rendered ineffective and blocked due to the insensitiveness and total lack of accountability and transparency of government and its unabashed partisanship. Several times, it had to be the third, the judicial pillar which had to take decisions and issue directives because of the executive's failure to discharge its own duties and responsibilities.
The Congress is clearly unable and unfit to rule the country any longer according to constitutional imperatives, with 7 serving ministers having to resign and chargesheeted for corruption, with 2 more ministers who had resigned earlier being similarly indicted, and with the prime minister himself under a cloud. It is itself in a state of disarray, having suffered a split. The country is no longer safe in Congress hands. Its chances of gaining a majority on its own, are non-existent.
The slogan : "Give me stability, and I will give you progress" hides the truth that unless there is real progress in eliminating poverty, unemployment and other urgent problems of the poor in this country, there can be no stability.
With an eye on power, it took recourse to out and out communal propaganda, distorting the humane essence of religion and is misusing religion for garnering votes. In an act of mediaeval frenzy it demolished a place of worship. Its action stirred up communal hate and poision on both sides that led to a spurt of riots and took hundreds of innocent lives.
It has attempted to put up a new face by talking of cultural nationalism'. But getting desperate after corruption and inner dissension caught up with it, the BJP has started openly espousing the so-called 'Hindu Agenda' of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad. Every single element of the BJP's cultural nationalism is aimed against the minorities, and is a denial of the pluralism and multifacetness of Indian society and culture, which is the basis of our secularism.
Its so-called 'economic nationalism' is a crude mixture of swadeshi demagogy and actual support to liberalisation policy of the Congress. After bravely denouncing Enron and threatening to throw it into the sea, it quickly struck a fresh deal with the self-same Enron.
Caught in the havala net, the BJP has no face to talk of a crusade against corruption and of upholding high moral values and probity in public life. Its state governments notched up a record of scandals that match that of the Congress, -- the tendu leaf scandal, the saal seeds and opium husk scandals in M.P. under the BJP governments, the dal scandal in Maharashtra, the tractor scandal in Rajasthan, the land grab by BJP-RSS outfits in U.P., M.P. and Rajasthan and others too numerous to be mentioned. The Congress rulers sank into the mire of corruption through four and a half decades of power. The BJP governments did so in less than four and a half years. Its crusade against corruption has ended in fiasco.
It is the same with dissidence and violent faction fights within each state outfit of the BJP. The Khajuria-Hajuria fight in Gujarat has caught the attention of the whole country. It has torn to shreds the BJP's boast that it is a 'party with a difference', a disciplined party. With only a whiff of power, its power-hungry members are at each other's throat.
A grave aspect of the havala racket is the fact that it was a conduit for siphoning money to the Kashmiri militants, as also to BJP leaders and Congress ministers. This came out 4 years back, yet the patriotic conscience of these honourable gentlemen did not speak up. And now it is revealed that Dawood's criminal associates and hitmen found shelter both with a BJP MP and a Congress minister. The Congress and the BJP are thus tarred with the same brush.
In Maharashtra, the BJP-Shiv Sena government unceremoniously wound up the States Minorities Commission and the Srikrishna commission. It withdrew 1500 cases filed under the Prevention of Atrocities (Against Scheduled Castes) Act. All these expose the BJP and its allies' ingrained hostility to minorities and dalits. The reactionary ugly face of the ruling BJP was also seen in the shameful rally organised by it in Jaipur 'honouring' the five rapists of Bhanwari Devi.
The BJP and its allies cannot therefore be an alternative to the Congress. The Indian people will not agree to jump from the frying pan into the fire. The BJP can hardly expect to better its earlier performance at the polls.
The awakening of the hitherto oppressed and deprived masses, the dalits, backward classes and women, has raised the question of their empowerment in political and social life. Only a coalition of the left, secular and democratic parties and forces can pave the way for this.
The left parties have a decisive role to play in forging such an alliance, and in carrying through their programme. People have seen that it is only the left parties which are not tainted by any scams and scandals. The left has always stood up for the people, for their demands and grievances, -- organising and leading struggles outside parliament and acting as 'people's tribune' inside parliament.
It is only the CPI and the left who have firmly opposed all attempts by imperialism, their agents and proxies to subvert our economic and political sovereignty or threaten our national security and integrity.
The CPI and the left has consistently fought against all brands of communalism and upheld our best traditions of humanism, tolerance and brotherhood. The CPI and the left have made tremendous sacrifices for defending national unity against all divisive and separatist forces. Upholding accountability and transparency in public life, the CPI has been regularly submitting its audited accounts to the authorities for scrutiny and demanding that all registered parties do the same.
The CPI will work for the victory of such a 'Third Alternative', which alone can meet the requirements of the situation and the aspirations of the common people. Only this can prove to be the salvation of the country. The 'Third Alternative' has to become the first inside the 11th Lok Sabha.
The CPI puts forward the following programme and tasks in the present situation and will strive for its implementation.
The public sector has to be defended from the wholesale attack of privatisation. Cure for the ills of the public sector enterprises should be sought within the public sector itself and not by automatically privatising them. In all cases care must be taken to protect the interests of the workers through adequate compensation, retraining and redeployment. Management of public sector enterprises shall be professionalised and democratised through workers `participation, and made efficient and accountable'.
Vandalising of public assets by handling them over to private parties or disinvesting them invariably below par should be discontinued. Funds already obtained through disinvestment should be utilised for revival and modernising of the concerned units.
Indian industries and agriculture shall be given all encouragement and help to utilise scientific and technological know-how within the country and constantly upgrade it, geared towards areas of health, environment, food, shelter and energy.
The interests of small and medium scale industries shall be defended through easily available credit, greater market accessibility, and so forth.
Opportunities for smaller enterpreneurs and self-employeds to develop shall be expanded.
There must be balanced development so as to prevent large-scale migration from one region to the other.
Remunerative prices shall be fixed for agricultural produce, and reasonable prices to the consumers.
A rational land and water management shall be undertaken through a national water policy, which safeguards agriculture from droughts and floods, and helps to solve inter-state disputes on water sharing.
Crop and cattle insurance shall be extended all over the country.
Land reforms have to be carried forward. There must be vigorous implementation of land ceiling laws and distribution of surplus land degraded forest land and cultivable waste lands to agricultural workers. All attempts to reverse land reforms shall be halted and opposed.
Need-based minimum wages to be fixed and implemented for agricultural workers and for other sections of unorganised workers; comprehensive central legislations which provide social security and labour protection, to agricultural workers and construction labour shall be adopted.
The livelihood of artisans, weavers, fishermen and self-employeds who are threatened by inroads of Big Business and MNCs shall be protected. Natural resources for their livelihood shall be safeguarded.
Strong efforts should be made to unearth black money, check tax evasion and mobilise to the full domestic resources for productive investment and prevent their misutilisation for speculative purposes. Rate of domestic savings has to be raised by curbing government extravagance and checking unbridled consumerism.
Planned efforts must be made to reduce our external and internal debts within a time-bound period.
Foreign investments to be sought and MNCs to be permitted only in specific areas of the economy where there is need for high technology and resources, and within an overall plan of national economic development. Foreign capital can be desirable for productive investment on a selective basis but not for speculative profits, or for grabbing shares and ultimate control of local industries.
Retrograde amendment of our patent Laws, which obstruct our R & D and are harmful in national interests should be opposed. To promote R & D there must be a cess on industries.
Provide safe drinking water to all villages and localities of urban poor. Evolve a national scheme for supply of domestic fuel.
Employment guarantee schemes should be for a minimum of 200 days in a year at national minimum wage.
Lunch National Literacy Campaign for achieving total literacy within a time-bound period. Mobilise youth and students for the campaign.
To ensure presence of children in schools and guard against drop-outs 'Food for Education' Scheme must be implemented, providing 1 Kg of foodgrain for every child for every day of schooling.
Child abuse, especially sexual exploitation of the girl child must be severely punished.
Bonded labour must be rescued and rehabilitated, and a national minimum wage must be enforced. National Commission on Child Labour and Bonded Labour must be constituted with powers for implementing and enforcing suitable measures.
The public distribution system must be strengthened and must cover all items essential for life, of good quality and at prices pegged for a period of 4-5 years. Food security should not be jeopardised in the name of encouraging exports, which particularly hit the poor.
Vigorous price control measures must be undertaken, and all reliefs given in the budget shall be transferred to consumers.
Government and ESI hospitals and dispensaries, must be set up with necessary equipments and all essential drugs, medical and paramedical staff. Maternity and child welfare centres in every villages and urban ward to be run by panchayats' and municipalities with special financial grants provision of old age homes and medical care for the aged. Homes for abandoned women.
Drug prices must be controlled and monopoly grip on production of drugs must be countered by developing production of basic drugs in the public sector.
Anganwadi and village health visitors must be paid reasonable wages and allowance for discharging their vitally important task.
Campaign against the menace of liquor and drug abuse, against HIV/AIDS and all communicable diseases must be vigorously carried out.
With growing longevity and increasing number of retirees from different services, industrial establishments etc., the number of pensioners in the country is growing fast. Pension is the most important element of any scheme of social security. Therefore a well thought out policy on pension has to be evolved and implemented, which includes the following aspects: i) adequate pension, the minimum not to be less than the minimum wages fixed in different employments, ii) parity in pension between employees of similar cadre and length of service, iii) same rank-same pension in the army and other services, iv) creation of a pension fund attracting reasonable interest on investment. v) pension linked to cost of living index, vi) machinery to begin payment promptly on retirement.
Handicapped, disabled, blind persons constitute no less than 10 per cent of the population. They have to be given special facilities for education, and reservation of at least 3 percent in jobs.
Ensure proper rehabilitation and pensionary benefits for ex- servicemen and their dependents.
Atrocities, against SC, ST, women shall be resisted and the guilty punished. A special court in each sensitive district shall be set up in keeping with the spirit and purpose of the SC ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. People's resistance to growing atrocities on women shall be organised. There must be provision for free legal aid by government to women in all cases of dowry deaths, abduction, rape.
Ensure women's access to credit, diversified vocational training, information on legal rights and other facilities to further the advancement of women and girls. Equal legal and social rights for women of all communities should be ensured.
Equal remuneration for women and men must be strictly enforced. Safety for women in public and private spheres of life should be ensured, by vigorously combating sexual harassment and creating a violence-free society.
Set up hostels for working women and creches for their children.
Ownership of land and houses should be registered in the names of both husband and wife.
Effective intervention of secular forces and administration in the fight against communalism, so that the people belonging to the minority communities can feel sense of security. At the same time, giving priority to the genuine grievances of the minority community regarding discrimination in the matter of jobs and other economic spheres, more avenues for education, end to the mismanagement of wakf properties etc. All cases related with Ram temple Babri Masjid dispute shall be referred to supreme court under Article 138 (2), and its decision shall be binding.
Revive and function the Inter-state Council.
Real decentralisation to be carried out by conferring more power and financial resources to elected bodies at district, block and panchayat levels. Defend Art. 370 of the Constitution in relation to J & K and rectify the erosion that has taken place in it. Evolve an economic and political package on the basis of consensus among all national and state parties.
Transfers and postings which are a fertile source of corruption should be done by a committee of senior officials.
Citizens' Committees composed of personalities of wellknown integrity to be set up at different levels, for rousing public opinion and with right to initiate proceedings before Lok Pal institutions and for resisting extortions of money and other mafia-type crimes.
Persons with known criminal records should not be put up, nor allowed to contest as candidates in elections.
There should be more transparency in government, in all deals of contract and supply, and the Right to Information must be established, so as to make administration more accountable to the people and their elected bodies.
India to remain firm in her principed refusal to sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, which permits the legitimisation of weapons of mass destruction.
Positive and active role to be played for developing South Cooperation between all developing countries, and extending cooperation among the SAARC countries.
The CPI appeals to all voters, to elect candidates of the CPI, of other left parties, of our secular and democratic allies. It appeals to all voters to defeat the Congress and the BJP and bring this alliance of left, democratic and secular forces to power.
The forthcoming elections have to lead to a radical change in the balance of forces in our country. The decadent and corrupt Congress regime must be thrown out of power if the road to progress is to open for the people. The voters must demonstrate their firm belief in those forces and parties which will stand unswervingly against Congress misrule and BJP's divisive threat to national unity and integrity.
Only the democratic, left and secular forces, acting together, can lead the people to a new order capable of defending our economic and political independence based on social justice for all.