PRESSURE TACTICS
As the developed economies of Europe and the US try to recuperate from a crisis,they are pressuring India to open its markets further in the name of reform,so that their finance capital can maximise profits and in the process boost to imperialist globalisation,says the CPM weekly Peoples Democracy. In an editorial,the party criticises US President Barack Obamas comments urging India to open its retail sector to foreign investment. Newer avenues have to be created for profit maximisation by international finance capital. Thus comes the pressure on countries like India to embark on a path of greater financial liberalisation… at the expense of the Indian people, it says.
It also views instances like the Time magazine cover terming Prime Minister Manmohan Singh an underachiever as part of the indirect pressure tactics. The party claims that the pressure is yielding results,citing as evidence the PMs decision to transfer 19 officers in the revenue department and reversing anti-avoidance tax rules on foreign investments in India within hours of taking charge of the finance ministry.
It concludes: What is required is a set of correct policies that can provide relief to the people while building our much-needed infrastructure. Popular peoples mobilisations must be strengthened to pressurise this UPA government to change its policy direction.
PRICE RISE
The CPI journal New Age has criticised the UPA governments economic policies,particularly in relation to price rise. An editorial said: Most astonishing are the taunts [sic the ministers and others are making about those who are complaining about price rise. Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram said that the middle class that spends Rs 15 for a bottle of water and Rs 20 for a cone of ice cream has no right to complain about price rise.
The editorial blames the governments neoliberal polices for price rise. The prices of almost all essential commodities… have doubled during the past five years. It happened as the government amended the essential commodities act to allow unlimited hoarding and later further facilitated (it)… by allowing future trading, it says.
The editorial alleges that the UPA is trying to dismantle the public distribution system by shrinking its scope,even as the food security bill is pending before a Parliament select committee.
OPPORTUNISTIC CPM
The CPI(ML) journal,ML Update,has attacked the CPM for choosing to support UPA nominee Pranab Mukherjee in the Presidential polls. The CPM politburos decision to vote for Mukherjee knocked the bottom out of its deceptive Left and democratic rhetoric and exposed (its) opportunist kernel,it said. Criticising the CPMs argument that supporting the UPA nominee was in the interest of secularism and that the party did not abstain as that would have clubbed it with the Trinamool Congress,the editorial says that the fallacious nature of these arguments is as clear as bright daylight.
If supporting the Congress candidate on considerations of secularism is the consistent policy… where is the question of the party intervening in any other way? And after Mamata Banerjee declared her support for Mukherjee,the question of being bracketed with the TMC came back… In fact,had the CPM chosen to abstain… it would have limited Mamatas capacity to manoeuvre on this issue,but then the CPM loves to live in the delusion that it can drive a wedge between the Congress and the TMC, it said.
Compiled by Avishek G. Dastidar
