Opinion Private predations

It says the CAG has questioned the role of the director-general of hydrocarbons in supervising the contract administration and argues that this exposes “crony capitalism”. The editorial says that CPM leaders had written letters to the government exposing this fraud. “As has been our country’s fate,there had been no tangible reply to these observations or any inquiry conducted by the government… The CAG has now confirmed,through its preliminary findings,that such a fraud has indeed been committed,” it says. “The raison d’etre of capitalism is profit maximisation. In order to achieve this,it can go to any extent and will forever continuously violate all laws,break all regulations and subvert the system. A government that,instead of checking this predatory tendency of capitalism,encourages it by promoting its cronies,is one that patronises crony capitalism,” it says.

too-clever Congress

An article in People’s Democracy says that environment minister Jairam Ramesh’s advice to Orissa after he had cleared the POSCO project,to uphold the spirit of discussion,dialogue and democracy while acquiring land,was nothing more than political opportunism. “His flip-flop on POSCO also reflects the dual face and politics of the Congress party with regard to big projects like POSCO in resource-rich areas… By granting forest and environmental clearances despite serious reservations,the UPA has appeased the corporate lobby that provides both the capital and the social basis of its government. At the same time,by voicing his concern on the process of land acquisition the minister has tried to feed into the Congress party’s populist strategy of opposing land acquisition in non-Congress ruled states,” it says.

The article argues for the need to demystify the Congress approach. “The POSCO clearance is also a part of a larger strategy where environmental regulations are being eased to give advantages to big projects in mineral-based industry. Thus the coal ministry has been pushing for introduction of private players in 71 per cent of the mining area. Further,the number of “no go areas” for coal mines has been reduced. Hence it is possible that the environment ministry will keep providing clearances to big projects and POSCO-like situations will keep emerging,” it argues.

How class works

The editorial in CPI weekly New Age looks into the “hue and cry” raised over Delhi University cut-offs,and says this reflects the education crisis created by governments guided by market principles. It says about 60 colleges in Delhi release cut-off lists at the time of admissions,refusing seats to many deserving students. “The ploy is used for keeping seats under the management’s garb to be filled later by dubious means. Most of these colleges are under private management but receive crores and crores of rupees as annual grant from the government,” it says.

The article claims that the privatisation of higher education is the root of the mess. “Private educational institutions in practice have become money-minting shops and a source of exploitation of teachers as well as students. The so-called ‘reputed educational institutions’ are the best commercial institutions,” it says. The article also talks about varying standards of education in the country that has led to the migration of students from far-off places to centres like Delhi. “The government,by encouraging privatisation of education at all levels,is actually imposing a system where children from poor families need not go for education after a certain stage… This is a new caste system that the bourgeois rulers of the country are trying to impose,” it says.