The current issue of Organiser has two pieces on ‘inflation’, and the ‘influence of World Bank’ in national planning. In an editorial on inflation, the RSS mouthpiece says, “From neo-liberalism to Nehruvian Socialism. This is how the UPA seems to be responding to the flak it faces for severe inflation. The government, which till recently was bent on making food and agricultural items amenable to the whims of private players, is now talking of attacking private players — accusing them of hoarding, black marketeering and threatening raids and curbs on free trade in food items. Is there need for more evidence to prove that the UPA has mismanaged the economy?” The editorial goes on to target UPA ministers. “Ever since inflation has crossed 7 per cent — the highest in three years — the government has become incredibly silent. We hear only squeaks. Commerce Minister Kamal Nath went to the degree of saying that, “The poor are eating more and it’s a challenge. And Sharad Pawar said that as a result of South Indians eating chapatis there is a wheat shortage. Do they mean the poor have no right to eat? Now the PM says that corporate farming is bad.” The RSS publication takes a dig at the Congress general secretary. Without naming Rahul Gandhi, the editorial says, “Its leader gave a slogan — both hands of the Congress are with the poor — at a time when the inflation rate has spiralled to an all-time high.” It concludes, “The only clear message is that the Congress has both its hands in the aam aadmi’s purse strings.”Westward boundIn a signed editorial, R. Balashankar dwells at length on the ‘propriety’ of top officials joining the World Bank after serving the government. The immediate provocation for this editorial seems to be the news of a top PMO official joining a foreign university. He says while the ‘impropriety’ of a former constitutional functionary (former CEC M.S. Gill) was debated in the media, the other phenomenon didn’t attract any critical analysis. “In most developed countries, the past leanings and future destinations of individual serving high positions in the land is a matter of close scrutiny. The most preferred openings for economists in our country these days are international monetary institutions. But the striking aspect is that since globalisation, it has become a prerequisite for officials in the PMO, finance, commerce, planning commission, and Reserve Bank to have an IMF background. The future job orientation of the PMO officials gives us an insight into the manner in which the country’s economic roadmap is drawn.” The piece makes no mention, however, of the officials in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government who similarly went westward after their PMO stint.In the same piece, quoting Joseph Stiglitz, the editor writes, “Globalisation is neither good nor bad. It depends on the governments that implement it and how it works for the country. In most cases, those who claim to represent the country are not really in touch with the people or their problems. They work for the benefit of that small section in the country that benefits maximum from globalisation.”More tamashaA report on the infighting within the Kerala CPM observes that a third group under Kodiyeri Balakrishnan “has recently emerged in the state”. The report goes on to say, “Promising more tamasha in the ongoing infighting in the Kerala CPM, Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan — the Thalassery-Kannur strongman and mastermind of the CPM’s war against the RSS — has also thrown his hat into the ring, turning the battle into a tripartite one. After becoming Politburo member, Kodiyeri has been speaking with renewed energy. He says he has been entrusted with the job of making both Pinarayi Vijayan and Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan obey party and PB directives.”
