Left's red circle on Manmohan Govt's report card

New Delhi, May 16: The Left parties today summed up the performance of the Manmohan Singh government during its two years in office with a crisp remark, not upto the mark, on several counts.

Ahead of the UPA government completing two years of its rule at the Centre, the CPI(M), CPI and Forward Bloc, however did not show the inclination to destabilise the Congress-led coalition while asking it to take immediate" corrective measures" to improve the quality of life of man-in-the-street.

In separate interviews to UNI, the Left leaders enlisted at least ten spheres where they found the UPA government wanting- in the Women's Reservation Bill, reservations for the SCs in private sector, checking price rise of essential commodities and not following an independent foreign policy.

CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan while complimenting the Manmohan Singh government for the National Rural Employment Act and bestowing inheritance rights on women, pointed out that it had" floundered' on many major economic issues.

Mr Bardhan, the veteran Communist and freedom fighter, said the government had also done something by way of legislating the Right to Information Act, but had gone astray on privatisation of airports, allowing 49 per cent of FDI in retail and disinvesting of the profit making PSUs.

CPI (M) senior leader and Polit bureau member M K Pandhe said the government had also not fulfilled its commitment of strengthening Public Distribution System( PDS), to consult the Trade Unions( TUs) on labour laws and enquiring about illegal sale of the PSUs at throwaway prices to private companies.

Mr Pandhe, the veteran Marxist, said," we are not happy with the government performance,", adding that the Government had given a gobye to an independent foreign policty to suit the strategic, commerce and trade interests of the US at the cost of the national interest.

The CPI(M) veteran pointed out that the people's" disillusionment" with the Congress-led coalition had come to the fore." in the just concluded assembly polls. It has not bothered about the man- on- the- street. Its economic policies have led to the destruction of tradtional occupation- agriculture. So much so that the farmers suicide in various parts of the country have not stopped during the last two years." CPI National Secretary Shamim Faizi said," the Government has also floundered by opening up the banking and the insurance sectors, faulty taxation policy, putting burden on the lower income groups while continuing concessions for the well-to-do, which has caused imbalance in revenue and expenditure."

Forward Bloc National Secretary G Devrajan said the Left did not find the government up to the mark. Elaborating, he said the government was adopting the economic policies under the pressure and dictates of the WTO." The government is also contributing towards the spreading of US agenda of imperialism, which is very disappointing." He reminded the government about how he said the WTO and the MNCs were capturing the country's agriculture sector on which over 75 per cent population's livelihood depended.

The Left leaders made it clear it was not on their agenda to destabilise the Central government but it would have to follow the CMP in its letter and spirit.

While Mr Faizi said," the CMP will continue to be the testing instrument for deciding the government's stability and longevity," Mr Pandhe said the Congress-led coalition would have to take to correct course to protect the interests of the common people.

On the" inner contradictions" in the government over FTAs with ASIAN, reservations for the OBCs and wheat imports, Mr Faizi said these developments had created an atmosphere of unease and even confrontation with the Congress and the government.

Mr Devrajan advocated that the Congress should keep its house in order since all these developments sent confusing signals and affected the performance of the government.

In a more straightforward manner, Mr Bardhan and Mr Faizi said," the Cabinet should take collective decsion so that they are not misunderstood. When an all party meeting has already endorsed the reservations for OBCs in private educational institutions, why were contradictory statments made?" In response to a query if they endorsed Dr Singh being a " economic PM" or wanted a " political PM," they evaded direct reply.

While the CPI leaders stressed Dr Singh should think more about the common people instead of bothering about the national and international business chambers, Mr Pandhe said this was for the Congress to decide. "What we want is the government should learn the coalition dharma and strictly implement the agreed document of the CMP." On the possibility of the "Third Alternative", Mr Pandhe held though both the Congress and the BJP "were fast alienating from the people, yet the idea had yet not matured."

UNI