1.THE FIRST IMPRESSION

1

THE FIRST IMPRESSION

                        The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) defeated the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the General Election.

         

       Dr. Manmohan Singh was sworn in as the Prime Minister of India on 22 May 2004. The composition of the Union Cabinet showed that the key Union Ministers were the representatives of the industrial houses.

 Thus, a powerful Union Minister, Mr. P. Chithambaram, on 30 May 2004, said that the verdict of the people was not against privatization but against the communal agenda of the NDA. Further, he said that the assurance of the UPA to protect the Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs) was limited to those, which were capable of making profits in a sustained manner in a globally competitive environment.

          The above Union Minister echoed the views of the industrial houses. Apparently, they supplied written policy statements to him.

 

        Further, the style of functioning of the above minister was reminiscent of his previous stint as a Union Minister in the United Front (UF) Government.

        The people believed that the sorrows were over. But the first impression was that the new Government was more dangerous than the previous one.

        Disappointed by the new predicament, Mr. V. Sabarimuthu sent a letter to His Excellency the President of India on 31 May 2004. This was in continuation of his 31 letters sent earlier. The letter requested the Government to:

1.  Grant old age pension to all above 60 years

2.  Impose transaction tax.

3.  Run the closed private mills after establishing a Ministry called Ministry of Investments.

4.  Restore the privatized PSUs

5.  Hand over the PSUs to the respective State Governments, and supervise them.

6.  Fill up the vacant posts and revive the Banking Service Recruitment Commission.

7.   Hand over the government plantations to the workers.

8.   Abolish the policy of “bulk buying”

9.  Explain the fate of the money in the “cash rich” PSUs and

10.       Annul the “false and wicked doctrines” of the Supreme Court of India as in the “petrol pump case”. 

       Obviously, the crucial decisions pertaining to the economy were still being taken not by the Union Cabinet but buy the industrial houses only.

V.Sabarimuhu