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UPA-Left differences on economic issues |
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The Left parties have again conveyed to the Manmohan Singh Government their firm opposition to any move to privatise the Mumbai and Delhi airports. In a joint letter to the Prime Minister, the Left party leaders drew his attention to the Parliamentary Party Standing Committee on Transport findings on the futility of the current proposals for addressing the mid-term infrastructural requirements of the airports. They said the two airports are the major profit centres of a consistently profit-making public sector undertaking, the Airports Authority of India. The Left leaders said the best option in the circumstances would be to modernise these airports immediately through the Airports Authority of India.
The letter was signed by leaders of all the four Left parties including CPIM General Secretary, Prakash Karat, and CPI General Secretary A.B. Bardhan.
The Banking Act (Amendment) Bill and the Pensions Bill are further points of friction between the UPA and the Left parties. Speaking at a meeting at Palakkad, in Kerala, on December 1, CPIM general secretary, Prakash Karat said the Left parties are totally against moves to allow foreign banks to buy private Indian banks. He said the Left parties will vote against these Bills in Parliament. He said to get the Bills passed, the UPA may have to seek the support of the BJP which will have serious consequences.
Major central trade unions affiliated to the Left parties have said that they will launch a united struggle against what they called the anti-people and anti-worker policies initiated by the erstwhile NDA Government, which they said, are now being pursued by the UPA Government. Speaking at the inauguration of the 38th session of the CPI-affiliated All India Trade Union Congress in New Delhi, the Unions said the Manmohan Singh Government’s implementation of the Common Minimum Programme had been tardy and no effort had been made to safeguard the interests of unorganised workers. The AITUC also decided to support the labour rights of workers in the Information Technology sector.
In a related development, the Left parties have demanded that Parliament discuss the Government approach to the World Trade Organisation agenda ahead of the WTO meeting at Hong Kong later this month. CPIM general secretary Prakash Karat said the nation must be taken into confidence on the issue. He said the Government should not agree to proposals which go against the interests of farmers and workers.
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