|
BHEL disinvestment : Left has its way |
 |
The Left parties have scored a major political victory with the Manmohan Singh Government virtually putting in abeyance the cabinet decision to disinvest 10 per cent stake in Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL).
The Government has also given the Left an assurance that Navaratna public sector units will not be disinvested in the future. Reports say that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will formally make the announcement after returning from his US visit on July 20 and before the Monsoon Session of Parliament beginning later this month. The Left front will only then announce its decision to return to the UPA-Left coordination committee.
The arrangement is reported to have been arrived at during a meeting between the Left leaders and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Sunday, July 10. The decision to postpone the announcement was taken in response to a Congress request as it does not want this pandering to the Left demands to create any problem during the Prime Minister’s visit to Washington, where economic relations are high on the agenda.
CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, who really set the lead for the other Left Front constituents, was clear from the beginning that there would be no compromise on the demand that the Government revoke its decision to disinvest BHEL. Congress-inspired proposals to scale down the percentage of disinvestment from 10 per cent to the range of five to seven per cent did not meet with his approval although there were indications from some CPI(M) veterans suggesting that this could be looked at favourably. It was made very clear to the Congress-led Government that the Left was not prepared to dilute, or withdraw, its opposition to the dilution of Government stake in BHEL.
The BHEL issue has seen some of the UPA partners allying with the Left parties to oppose the disinvestment. The MDMK came out last week with opposition to the UPA Government proposal. MDMK chief Vaiko told newspersons in Chennai that a public sector enterprise operating profitably should not be sold. A resolution adopted by the MDMK general body meeting said that shares of a well-run Navaratna company should not be given away to the private sector at any cost.
After her meeting with Left leaders, Sonia Gandhi met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday, July 11, to discuss how the Government should get out of the BHEL imbroglio without losing face. Later, the Prime Minister had a meeting with senior Left leaders including Harkishan Singh Surjeet and Sitaram Yechury of the CPI(M) and Debabrata Biswas of the Forward Bloc. The meeting on July 14 came just a couple of days before the start of the Prime Minister’s visit to the United States. Dr. Manmohan Singh is reported to have assured the Left leaders that India would not succumb to international pressure and maintain its independent line in the arena of foreign policy.
The assurance assumes significance in the light of stiff opposition from the Left to the recent signing of the Indo-US defence relationship framework during Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to Washington. The Left accused the Government of breaching the common minimum programme by striking such a deal with the US, but the Congress denied the allegation and said that the Government is committed to a multi-polar world order. Pranab Mukherjee clarified that there has been no defence agreement or pact with the United States. He said his discussions with US Defence Secretary Rumsfeld were within the framework of talks on the defence relationship between the two nations.
After having its way on the BHEL issue, the Left parties are now targeting Pension Reforms and FDI in retail. They are reportedly gearing up for another battle with the Congress over the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority Bill that the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance is likely to clear with some amendments. CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta is reported to have submitted a three-page dissenting note calling for the withdrawal of the Bill, which he termed as a “fraud on Central and State Government employees as also the unorganised working class.”
The Left parties are reported to be getting ready to submit a note to the Government opposing foreign direct investment in retail. They are of the view that by opening up retail trade to multinational firms, India will be promoting monopoly in the market, affecting the sustainability of small producers and shopkeepers. After the Left parties success on the BHEL disinvestment issue, the DMK has now forced the Manmohan Singh Government to slow down implementation of a long pending reform of criminal laws.
The contention is the amended provision of the Code of Criminal Procedure Act dealing with anticipatory bail under Section 438 which makes it mandatory for the accused to be present in person in court during the hearing on anticipatory bail.
With Karunanidhi’s DMK-led alliance working hard to woo lawyers in Tamil Nadu, the Union Government on Thursday “informally” promised alliance partners that it will not implement the Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Act 2005 immediately.
The issue intruded into the agenda of the Cabinet’s meeting with DMK Ministers pressing for a promise to stall the implementation of the Act, assented to by the President on June 23. Communications Minister Dayanidhi Maran said the Cabinet must send a signal to the lawyers in the state.
Maran was following up on his aggressive lobbying with Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi earlier in the week. He was successful in persuading Sonia Gandhi to ask the Prime Minister to tread cautiously.
|
