Standing apart on common ground

A closer look at the two manifestoes shows that though both parties agree on broader issues, there are some basic differences where a common meeting ground has to be found.

In its election manifesto, the major party of the Left combine8212;the Communist Party of India-Marxist CPIM, had criticised the Congress saying that its policies were no alternative to the BJP. 8216;8216;The Congress advocates economic policies that are not different from the BJP,8217;8217; read the CPIM election manifesto.

Some of the sticky points now could be the CPIM8217;s insistence on reintroducing quantitative restrictions QRs on imports of those commodities which are backed by domestic and export subsidies in developed countries, increase in import duty to protect agriculture, protection of biodiversity and seed rights of farmers and setting up an institutional state framework to fight biopiracy.

It also calls for a review of amendments to the Indian Patent Act which weighs heavily in favour of multinational companies.

On the domestic farm policy front, the CPIM in its poll manifesto had insisted on strict implementation of land reforms. It said 8216;8216;keeping in mind that 70 per cent of the people of India live in the rural areas, the single most important step for rural transformation is the implementation of land reforms.8217;8217;

The Congress poll manifesto skips any mention of implementation of land reforms and suggests only 8216;8216;to redouble is efforts to distribute surplus productive land to the landless.8217;8217;

The CPIM has categorically urged 8216;8216;to prohibit sale of agricultural lands to foreign companies or their subsidiaries for agri-business.8217;8217; This statement of CPIM runs counter to the policy of the erstwhile NDA coalition and the Congress party on inviting foreign direct investments FDIs in agriculture.

The CPIM poll manifesto has called for remunerative prices for crops through market intervention by the government which the erstwhile NDA planned to gradually dismantle through a series of substituting measures like farm income insurance scheme, introduction of futures trading, encouraging farmers to set up companies of their own with landholdings being treated as equity base and persuading state governments to amend laws permitting private operators to directly purchase farmers8217; produces in regulated markets. The Congress is, however, silent on this issue.

The CPIM wants to revert to universal public distribution system of foodgrains and 8216;8216;giving up targeting in the name of reaching the poor.8217;8217; In fact, this system of targeting the poor in PDS was initiated by the Left parties-supported United Front government in late 1990s but was not implemented then till the NDA coalition came to power. CPIM suggested that 14 essential commodities should be distributed under PDS.

The CPIM also suggested that those who are not income tax payers should get the same benefits now extended to families living below the poverty line BPL under PDS. The Antodaya Scheme for highly subsidised grain distribution to the 8216;poorest of the poor8217; should cover all sections of the rural poor. It calls for a network of fair-price shops and consumer cooperatives covering all panchayats, cutting down overhead costs of Food Corporation of India and streamlining its mechanism.

However, the Congress manifesto does not talk of universal PDS or restructuring of the Antodaya Scheme to include all the rural poor. It says that the focus of the PDS will be BPL families. But it talks about extending the reach of the PDS. The Congress approach to the PDS is similar to that of the erstwhile NDA coalition.

The CPIM8217;s insistence on increase in subsidies on agricultural inputs may clash with Manmohan Singh8217;s desire for doing away with subsidies on power.

However, there are some areas of agreement between the Congress and the CPIM with varying degrees of emphasis on issues like increasing public investment in agriculture, ensuring self-sufficiency in food output, greater allocation for developing irrigation, comprehensive insurance schemes for crop and cattle, expansion of farm credit facilities, sufficient allocation to animal husbandry, pisciulture, poultry and sericulture and legislation for protecting the rights of farm workers.