Opinion Act of Surrender

“Limiting the agenda of the presidential election to ‘secularism’,even when there is no chance of the BJP nominee winning the election,and when the Congress candidate in question is a key custodian of the neoliberal,pro-imperialist order in every realm of policymaking and governance,clearly shows the real meaning of the CPM’s ranting against neoliberalism and imperialism,” he says.

He further argues that “by supporting Mukherjee,the CPM hopes to widen the rift between the Congress and the TMC and revive the party in Bengal. Little does the CPM realise that its growing proximity and identification with the Congress would grant much bigger leeway to the TMC to exploit the growing countrywide resentment against the Congress”.

He goes on to claim that the communists have built their base through direct struggle and that instead of developing and implementing tactical measures that would help consolidate and broaden that base,defensive and opportunistic tactics have blunted communist politics.

“The dream of stronger political intervention cannot be fulfilled with tactical measures that only blunt the edge of struggle and sacrifice opportunities and platforms to propagate,project and popularise the political agenda of the Left for ‘presumed’ gains that are invariably more wishful and transient than real and enduring. The exacting reality of class struggle never allows communists the luxury to pass off acts of surrender as tactical masterstrokes,” he concludes.

Insufficient MSP

An article in CPM weekly People’s Democracy argues that the minimum support price (MSP) for kharif crops announced by the government was inadequate,given that the cost of production has gone up over the years. It also slams the media for depicting it as the biggest-ever hike and fuelling fears that it will stoke food inflation.

It claims that even if one goes by the findings of the government’s own advisory body — the commission on agricultural costs and prices — which came up with the kharif price policy document last fiscal on the basis of the cost of production data of 2008-09,it is found that the MSP fixed on the basis of weighted average cost of production did not meet the cost of production in many states even last year. Elaborating,it says that the weighted average cost of production (C2) for paddy in 2011-12 was Rs 887.82 per quintal.

“Even if one were to uncritically take Rs 887.82 per quintal as the C2,and apply the M.S. Swaminathan Commission’s recommendation of C2+50 per cent to compute the MSP,it would have come to Rs 1331.73 per quintal in 2011-12. Now,after one full year,the government has announced an MSP of Rs 1250 per quintal and Rs 1280 per quintal for paddy for 2012-13 kharif,” it says.

It argues that ever since 2008-09,the price of inputs has increased. Fertiliser prices have increased markedly since the nutrient-based subsidy regime came into being and “moreover,the department of fertilisers has also proposed a hike of another 10 per cent in urea prices. Moves are afoot to cut the subsidies on chemical fertilisers even further on the pretext of subsidising bio-fertilisers,” it concludes.

Poor Economics

An editorial in the CPI journal New Age examines the signals emanating from North Block after Pranab Mukherjee’s exit and the demand for reform from the corporate world.

It alleges that the prime minister and the former finance minister were both enthusiastic about implementing neoliberal policies,but were under the compulsion of electoral politics. According to the article,the PM has been emphasising the need to create a favourable atmosphere for investment to revive the Indian economy. During the G-20 summit,he called for harsh decisions to revive dwindling economies and promised to take such steps in India,the editorial notes. “Besides,symbolising his total agreement with the bailout packages proposed by the IMF that envisages nationalisation of private debt and cuts in public spending for crucial sectors like education and public health,the PM pledged $10 billion to the IMF for the eurozone rescue fund,” it says. “The PM has always pleaded for scrapping all subsidies.”

The editorial criticises the government for having “no plans to bring down inflation. While unemployment is on the rise,several lakhs of people [sic have lost jobs. The growing cleavage between the haves and have-nots is glaring. Despite all this,UPA 2 wants to give more concessions to corporate houses and impose new economic burdens on the people,and the latest example is the decision to impose service tax on most services”.

Compiled by Manoj C.G.