Opinion Neo-liberal consensus

The editorial in CPI journal New Age says the government counts state governments and political parties as stakeholders. The retailers,the small and medium farmers and owners and workers of small and medium industries,on the other hand,are not among the stakeholders.

“Besides,in the name of consensus,the two bourgeois political formations — the Congress-led UPA 2 and the BJP-led NDA — should not enter into an underhand dealing as they have done in the past on some of the economic issues,” it says.

The Left has made it a point to claim there was no real difference in the economic outlook of the two major parties. The editorial says the Congress and the BJP curbed the Left’s move for a “meaningful debate” in Parliament on price rise by reaching an agreement to pass an innocuous resolution. It also claims the BJP is not really opposed to FDI in retail. “The chief ministers’ committee on economic reform headed by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had not only endorsed all the suggestions for carrying forward the policies of economic neo-liberalism but has gone further by pleading the oft-repeated mantra that ‘government has no business to be in the business’,” it says.

The Left also fears that the government may try to push through “disastrous bills and decisions” when the two houses are busy finalising the Lokpal Bill,and warns that opening the insurance sector for FDI and enhancing its quantum in the banking sector should not be allowed at any cost.

Dalits denied

An article in CPM weekly People’s Democracy discussed how implementation of the Scheduled Castes Sub-Plan (SCSP) has fallen short. It says that over the years,either allotments were not made,or were not in accordance with the guidelines. Often,funds were not fully utilised,were diverted or allowed to lapse.

The author cites estimates to argue that “more than Rs 4,15,000 crore were denied to SCs and STs only in allocation by the Union government during the last three decades.” It refers to the alleged diversion of funds from the SCSP to the Commonwealth Games last year and claims that “the failure of governments at the Centre and in the states to genuinely implement SCSP has cost the Dalits dear. “If the SCSP was truly implemented,benefits worth thousands of crores of rupees would have accrued to dalits in the past 32 years,” it says. It also talks about increasing atrocities on Dalits — including incidents of rape,denial of access to resources and services,and social boycotts — and claims the state has done little to end such discriminatory practices.

The article calls for a new system to ensure that these sub-plans are implemented in letter and spirit. The government’s indifference to “the goals of the development of the SCs and the STs mandated by the Constitution,has resulted in the further marginalisation of the marginalised,” it concludes.

Labour pains

A People’s Democracy article dwells on the demand made by the CPM’s trade union arm,CITU,for “penal action” against the Maruti management for what it claims are “unfair labour practices.” The demand was made by CITU’s Haryana general secretary,Surender Singh,in a letter to the Haryana labour minister.

The article claims that Union Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge has,in an answer to a Parliament question last month,stated that demanding good conduct bonds from workers before allowing them to resume work is an arbitrary act and amounts to unfair labour practice.

In view of this reply,the CITU leader says panel action should be taken against the management of the Maruti Udyog Ltd for its “illegal acts,which resulted to loss of wages to the workers”.

Compiled by Manoj C.G.