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CPM general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet has said that the
United Front (UF) could go the Congress way into a political slide
if it continued with the previous Government's economic policies.
"The United Front is missing one point. In the last election, one
factor was the economic policies of the Congress government which
landed them in the soup and a big defeat. They must learn from the
Congress and the policy of liberalisation and where it landed
them," Surjeet is quoted as having told a private TV charmer in an
interview to be telecast tomorrow.
In the interview, Surjeet is quoted as having strongly criticised
sundry proposals of Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram's Budget,
presented some days ago. Surjeet said his party would oppose the
proposals it does not agree with.
Surjeet termed the Budget which has been welcomed by several
sections of the society, as "elitist and influenced by the
industry." The CPM general secretary felt the Budget does not do
enough for the poor and would only benefit the upper sections of
the population big businessmen monopoly houses and foreign
monopolies.
To oppose the Budget, Surjeet said the CPM would adopt a
three-pronged strategy by raising the Budget's negative aspects in
Parliament mobilising people outside Parliament and discuss the
Budget in the UFs post-Budget Steering Committee meeting.
"Nothing much has been done to mobilise resources so as to tackle
unemployment poverty and rising prices," Surjeet said. In the
interview, he stressed that the CPM would demand amendment of some
sections in the Budget so that more benefit accrues to the poor.
The CPM is keen to ensure a reversal of the proposal to open up the
health insurance sector.
On resource mobilisation, Surjeet said the CPM would like to focus
on sectors like real estate -where a lot of "black money" is
invested. Surjeet said Chidambaram should have placed a stamp duty
on all transactions which are being taken. "'Then the landed
interest are completely free. There is no tax on them," he said.
Surjeet added that the CPM was also opposed to the proposal to
refer public sector undertakings like the Videsh Sanchar Nigam
Limited (VSNL), Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Limited (MTNL) and the
Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) to the Disinvestment
Commission. He called this a betrayal of a commitment in the UF's
Common Minimum Programme (CMP).
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