Opinion Speech therapy

An editorial in New Age comments: “He is once again trying to create a situation that prevailed before the finalisation of the Indo-US nuclear agreement,when he linked the 123 agreement with our energy security. To get this agreement through,he even staked his chair. Is he bent upon to use [sic the same pressure tactics to concede [to the demands of International Finance Capital and its tools like World Bank and IMF?”

People’s Democracy argues that the PM’s speech displayed all characteristics of UPA 2 in its fourth year in office: a flailing government caught in the quagmire of neo-liberal policies and corruption. It also slams the PM for remaining silent on price rise. “In the Independence Day address last year,the prime minister had talked about controlling rising prices as the topmost priority. He had also promised a new Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation law which would protect the interests of those dependent on land. In the present address,there is no mention whatsoever of the steps taken in this direction. Prices continue to spiral and the Land Acquisition and Rehabilitation law has not been adopted by parliament even after a year. The prime minister was also silent on the Food Security law which is urgently required,” it concludes.

Health & wealth

AN ARTICLE in People’s Democracy attacks the Planning Commission for its chapter on health in the Twelfth Five Year Plan document. It says the essence of the PC’s health chapter was simple — gradually wind up the public healthcare system and hand it over to corporate hospitals.

Noting that the National Rural Health Mission has resulted in some expansion and strengthening of the public healthcare system despite its deficiencies,the article argues the logical step forward would have been to invest in the expansion and strengthening of this system. “But for the present government,the neo-liberal logic was too difficult to resist. The first challenge that was mounted against the public system came in the form of the Rajiv Gandhi Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) and similar insurance schemes in many states. Almost entirely publicly funded,these schemes provided an insurance cover for Rs 30,000 for BPL families… The catch was that institutions accredited as part of these schemes were largely private hospitals. So instead of using this substantial public investment to strengthen the public system and create long-term national assets,public money was pumped into the private sector,” it says.

Left alone

NOW the CPI(ML),after the other Left parties,is set to hit the streets against corruption. It is interesting that its demands include enacting the Jan Lokpal Bill and the repatriation of black money — issues popularised by Team Anna and Baba Ramdev.

The latest issue of CPI(ML)’s weekly,ML Update, talks about the plans. Attacking the UPA,it says the government under Manmohan Singh has seen the worst instances of corruption and corporate plunder. “From the 2G scam to the coal scam,the corrupt government has deliberately allowed greedy corporations to loot the country’s precious resources to the tune of lakhs of crores of rupees,” it alleges. It also takes on the government on food security and unemployment. “The government is hellbent on dismantling the PDS and replacing food rations with cash transfers. All talk of ‘food security’… has proved to be a complete mockery. The UPA government’s model of ‘development’ has been one of jobless growth. Whatever jobs exist are casualised,insecure,and exploitative. Meanwhile,all the social services — education,health,electricity,water — are being privatised,” it alleges. The CPI(ML)’s other demands include the nationalisation of mineral resources,universalisation of the PDS,withdrawal of UAPA and AFSPA and the suspension of Operation Green Hunt.

Compiled by Manoj C.G.