'It is time to send strong message to govt'

A key Left party and an outside supporter of the United Progressive Alliance government says that the Left as a whole should review its backing to the central coalition, whose policies only seek to help the Bharatiya Janata Party and go against the common man.

Notwithstanding Communist Party of India-Marxist's unenthusiastic response to its review proposal, the CPI says the government should be given a message that the Left parties' support cannot be taken for granted any more.

In an interview to PTI, veteran communist and 81-year-old general secretary of the party, A B Bardhan, feels that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has spoken the right thing about creeping 'crony capitalism' in the country but regrets that he has not done anything to set things right.

He also spoke on the need for keeping BJP out of the government in Uttar Pradesh after the coming elections and to elect a 'secular, progressive and democratic' person as the next President.

"My point is not that we should immediately withdraw support. I did say and I still say that it is time for the Left parties to review the whole thing. It is time for us at least to send a message to the government that they cannot take our support for granted.

"It is time for the government to realise that the demands put forth and the issues that have been agreed upon in the Common Minimum Programme are implemented in letter and spirit. If we, the Left, can ensure that, there may be no need for it (review support). But that is what I am doubting, looking into what they are doing," he said.

Asked about his CPI(M) counterpart Prakash Karat's view that withdrawal of support would only benefit BJP, Bardhan said the need for review of support cannot be denied at all.

"The Left as a whole has given support from outside. Therefore, the Left as a whole should take a decision. Therefore, let us sit together and think over it."

Asked if he was giving the government some time, he shot back saying, "At any rate, we are not saying withdraw support today or tomorrow."

He said the country was now faced with two major political issues -- the fallout of the UP elections and the upcoming Presidential election. After that the Left should meet and review.

On UP, Bardhan said media projections gave Bahujan Samaj Party the possibility of emerging as the single largest party.

"But I am not concerned about the fate of this party or the other. Uttar Pradesh should have a secular government and a government from which the BJP should be kept out," he said.

He was confident that despite the fact that secular parties were fighting against each other, it did not mean that they cannot come together after the elections to form a government. "Why should we drive the BSP towards the BJP," he asked.

On the upcoming Presidential election, the CPI veteran said both Congress and BJP cannot get their candidate to Rashtrapati Bhavan on their own. Neither can the Left parties.

"There have to be very intense negotiations among the parties. We would like to see a candidate who is very secular person who is progressively inclined, democratic and one who is aware of the Constitutional responsibilities," he said, adding that the exercise on finding a consensus candidate begin after the UP polls.

Asked whether it was time that Rashtrapati Bhavan saw a Left incumbent, Bardhan said, "I cannot say that. The numbers of the Left parties and the political arithmetic of the Left do not enable the Left to put up a candidate of its own. But if the choice of many parties together falls on a Left candidate, I will welcome it."

To a question if he would want Congress support for a Left candidate, he said it was for the Congress party to say first of all as to 'what its choices are.'

"They are in a position to say this much more than all the Left together. But they (Congress) too cannot get a person elected without the Left votes."

Asked whether the Left parties would propose Jyoti Basu, Bardhan said, "He is the most highly-respected person in our political life. But looking at his age, I don't think it will be fair to bandy his name.'

On Somnath Chatterjee, he said, "I don't know whether his name has been proposed by anyone. His party has not yet proposed that name, nor has the Left discussed that name. Unilateralism in such matters is very difficult and not good also."

About the performance of the UPA government in the last three years, he said in the first two years there was 'some performance' along the lines laid down in the Common Minimum Programme.

"But thereafter, the government seems to have lost its will to carry out the CMP and more and more it is functioning only to benefit a section of our people," he lamented.

Bardhan said it was no surprise that India was topping the list of billionaires in the world while 90 per cent of the people had not benefitted from the reform process.

He said the high prices and inflation had badly affected even the middle-class and the 'vocal sections seem to be getting disillusioned.' As a result the BJP was benefitting and 'winning by default and not because of their good deeds.'

"That is why it is time to review (Left support)," he said, adding that the Left parties had supported the UPA to keep the BJP out and to ensure that the poor people benefitted through the implementation of the CMP.

"Secondly, most of the policies of the reforms are at the cost of common man. The policy on SEZ affects the farmers. The Land Acquisition Act of the colonial days is still being used. Even the tax regime brings concessions to corporate houses, whereas the common man gets the burden of indirect taxes," Bardhan observed.

The CPI leader said the legislations on providing social security to unorganised workers and women's reservation were yet to see the light of the day.

"Even good legislations like the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the Tribal Act suffered in implementation with loopholes. The government is not taking people's cooperation in implementing them properly," he said

On foreign policy, Bardhan said the government seems to be coming under 'pressure and blackmail' of the US, especially on the nuclear deal and the Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) gas pipeline.

He said India was citing energy security as a reason for the Indo-US nuclear deal and suggested that the government should go ahead with the IPI project for energy.

"Signals are that the government is not reacting to these pressures. It is either succumbing or wavering. Certain circles are actually lobbying for scuttling this (IPI)," he said.       

On the nuclear deal, the communist veteran said their party was still opposed to it and would like the government to disclose to the nation the status of the negotiations on the 123 Agreement.

Government should satisfy the country that the deal was not in contravention of the assurances given by the prime minister in Parliament and the measures it was taking to set right the Congressional amendments which were at variance with Indian positions.

On Prime Minister's remarks regarding crony capitalism, he said, "It is just an obvious fact, which even the prime minister cannot deny. Having realised it, what the government is doing is to continue with the policies to help crony capitalism."

He said the SEZ policy, as amplified by the empowered Group of Ministers and the subsequent clarifications by Pranab Mukherjee that state governments can acquire more than the 5,000 hectares cap, 'seems that everybody is free to serve crony capitalism.'

The SEZ policy is nothing but a 'land grab venture by industrialists' that would shoot up land prices placing it beyond the reach of poor and even the middle class.

To questions on the Nandigram issue, the CPI leader said there was an immediate need to restore peace in the area.     
"Peace and normality can be restored only after those hundreds of families driven out of Nandigram are allowed to return to their hearth and homes," he said.

Maintaining that the state government had already announced that there would be no land acquisition and Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had himself owned up responsibility for the 'mistakes,' Bardhan said, "Then what is the issue which is left. It is for political domination of Nandigram."

He said, "The people of the area, which is part of West Bengal, cannot behave as having different set of rules. Law and order is the state government's responsibility."

Bardhan asked the Trinamool Congress and the Congress to attend the all-party meetings being convened by the Left Front government if they were interested in restoring peace and normality in Nandigram.