Allies put Govt in the dock on privatisation

NEW DELHI, MARCH 14: The Atal Behari Vajpayee Government today found itself in the dock when some of its allies joined hands with the Oppo...

NEW DELHI, MARCH 14: The Atal Behari Vajpayee Government today found itself in the dock when some of its allies joined hands with the Opposition in criticising it for trying to privatise public sector undertakings.

The matter was raised during the zero hour by AIADMK MP T M Selvaganapathi who lashed out at the ruling coalition for its moves to privatise the Salem steel plant. He soon found support from not just the other opposition parties, but, much to the government’s discomfiture, also from the MDMK and the Trinamool Congress, two key constituents of the NDA.

Intervening in the discussion, MDMK leader Vaiko asserted that there was no need to privatise the plant. “Reports of the move have come as a rude shock to us,” he said.

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Even the Tamil Nadu assembly had passed a resolution opposing the move, he said, adding both the Governor and the Chief Minister had pleaded with the Centre not to go ahead with it.

Trinamool Congress leader Sudip Bandopadhyaya felt that the term “disinvestment” was causing tremendous anxiety in the minds of thousands of workers who were employed in the PSUs. “Before announcing any such move, the Government should think twice or thrice,” he said, adding, “The PSUs should be given full financial assistance for their functioning.”

Expressing serious concern at moves to privatise the PSUs, former prime minister Chandra Shekhar observed that the entire public sector was being sought to be privatised. “If you accept foreign intervention in economic affairs, they’ll try to intervene in political affairs also,” he said.

Turning towards Human Resource Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi, a strong votary of swadeshi, he said: “I hope you will accept it not just as a challenge to the nation but also as a challenge to your integrity and grace.”

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CPI(M) veteran Somnath Chatterjee directed his attack on Minister for Disinvestment Arun Jaitley, who had just entered the House. “I don’t know what is happening in the Government. There is a ministry for running the PSUs, another to close them,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the Government, Joshi asserted that there was no question of closing any PSU. “I can also assure you that the Government has not taken any decision under pressure from any quarter,” he said.