“Protest
Against the Budget of Betrayals Presented by Narendra Modi Led NDA
Government”
Dear
friends,
The
Narendra Modi led NDA Government has backed out totally from the
promises made during election campaign and his first speech in
parliament after the election results. His election promises were
summed up in his famous slogan “Achche Din Aane Wale Hain”
(Good Days are going to Come). He promised to end price rise, to end
corruption by good, clean, and transparent governance; generate large
number of jobs by taking suitable measures in the economy; take
effective steps for accelerating economic development; bring
prosperity for rural populace; and bring all out prosperity for all,
especially for the poor and the disadvantaged sections of society
like STs, SCs, and OBCs.
But
the first budget presented by the Finance Minister, and the Railway
budget presented by the Railway Minister show that the budget is good
for the rich people, and bad for the common people of our country.
Before even the budget was presented, the government hiked the
railway passenger fares by 14.5% from 25th June, 2014. The
railway freight charges for the goods were also increased. Diesel and
petrol prices have also been increased. The prices of LPG and
Kerosene oil have also been increased. The government has announced
that there will be massive increase in diesel, petrol, LPG, and
Kerosene oil prices after September. All the subsidies on them would
be withdrawn, and domestic oil produced would also be priced at
international level to attract Foreign Capital and Indian Corporate
houses in the petroleum sector.
This
would give massive increase in the profit of Mukesh Ambani’s
Company in Godavari Basin oil exploration business. The price of
natural gas is going to be hiked from $4 for one BTU to $8 and then
to $12 in the next year. As is being demanded by the Reliance
industries. If the prices of natural gas were rised by one dollar per
BTU, the price of urea would increase by Rs.1350 per tonne Ambanis
have been pressurizing the government to give international prices
for the domestic oil, and produced 12% gas from KG6 in 2013-14 of
what they were duty bound to produce. Instead of cancelling their
license, it imposed a fine of Rs 14,000 crore which in all likelyhood
would go for litigation, the government is going to reward them by
increasing the price of natural. The increase in the price of diesel
and gas increases the transportation and production costs of all the
products leading to further price rise. But Ambani and other
Corporate bigwigs were the main providers of the huge election fund
(to the tune of nearly 10 thousand crores) to Narendra Modi in the
election. The budget and pre-budget steps of the government have led
to steep rise in prices generating frustration and anger among the
people. On the other hand budget and policy of the government has
created great enthusiasm among the Corporate houses, MNCs, business
classes, and the rich people in general.
Adding
insult to injury the government has announced to start Bullet train
in the country at a cost of 60,000 crores of rupees to run from
Mumbai to Ahmedabad,the passenger fare of which will only be met by
the richer sections of the society, but has made provision of only
Rs.1000 crore additional money to agricultural sector and completely
ignored the necessity to allocate funds to fight massive drought like
situation in country. What a mockery of taking care of 60% people
living in the rural areas! And this is the act of a government whose
Prime Minister started his speech in Parliament with the words that
his government is a government for the poor.
This
government continues to follow the neoliberal policies of imperialist
globalization and privatization of the previous government, but has
declared its intent in the budget to reduce and ultimately end the
welfare measures of the previous government like Food Security Act,
MNREGA, Land Acquisition Act, etc. On the other hand lakhs of crores
of concessions and tax relief has been given / continued to the big
industry and business. Food Security Act, MNREGA, and Land
Acquisition Act were enacted after prolonged struggle of the people
to provide food security, employment, and protecting land rights of
the peasants and tribals. Though these measures like Food security
Act, MNREGA etc only partially met peoples’ needs, they provided
some relief to the poor people in the rural areas. The tribals were
facing large scale eviction and displacement due to the construction
of big dams, mining projects, industries, etc. Instead of addressing
these issues the government has announced its decision to raise the
height of Narmada dam which is bound to displace large number of
tribals in Madhya Pradesh and other affected states. Lakhs of
peasants committed suicides during last two decades of Globalisation
policies. Millions of tribals and other peasants lost for SEZs,
Industries, dams, mines, roads, urban housing, etc. Peoples’
protests and movements like in Nandigram and Singur broke out in
different parts of the country. Then British Land Acquisition Act was
replaced by a new Act, which says that at least 80% of land owners
should agree to give land, only then land can be acquired. This
government is trying to do away with this provision, or to scrap the
Act altogether. The Corporate Houses and MNCs have been demanding
this. These policies of the government announced in the budget are
great betrayal to the poll promises to the people in the interest of
handful of super rich.
On
the employment and corruption fronts also this government’s budget
has a negative approach. More than 50% employment is still provided
by agriculture employing large number of small, middle, and poor
peasants. There is only bad news for them in the budget. The
government has refused to declare drought and provide relief to the
rural masses. In the non-agricultural sector, 90% employment is
provided by the informal sector including small and micro
enterprises. There is nothing worth mentioning for this sector in the
budget except promising to constitute yet another committee to
suggest ways of providing financial assistance to them. All big talks
are for formal organized sector which includes big capitalists,
Corporate houses, and MNCs but they provides only 10% employment in
the non-agricultural sector, and 15% of total consumption. But to
promote the interest and income of this sector massive selling of
shares of Public Sector Undertakings including banks to the tune of
63,000 crores to the MNCs and private sector has been announced.
To
please the imperialist governments like US, UK, Germany, France,
Japan, etc. and foreign Institutional Investor, MNCs and other
foreign Capitalists, our Defence production, Insurance, etc. have
been opened for them upto 49% shares. Last UPA government had already
opened many other sectors for these foreign players. All this is
being done in the name of development and creating employment
opportunities. But facts speak otherwise. The formal sector including
all the industries, IT sector, banks, etc. provide jobs to only 1
crore 40 lakh people, Whereas the informal sector including SME,
provide jobs to nearly 10 crores and 80 lakh people, and agriculture
provides employment to nearly 32 crore people. What a tragedy!
Nothing for agriculture, nothing for SMEs, and all for handful of
Corporates, Industrials and big traders. All these measures will
bring “Achcha din” (good days) for the rich, and misery
for common people i.e. workers, peasants, tribals, students, youths,
small business and enterprises, etc.
The
government has not done anything to curb massive corruption witnessed
in the Central government which rocked the nation. BJP at that time
supported Anna Hazare led movement for a powerful Lokpal and
Lokayukta. But the present government under Narendra Modi is silent
on this vital demand of large section of people. Modi’s government
appointed a committee to unearth black money, at the same time it
revived the Kisan Vikas Patra scheme which was withdrawn by
the UPA government in the face severe criticism that it became an
instrument for black money laundering. This exposes the hypocrisy of
the present government.
In
such situation people have no other way except to oppose the
anti-people intent and actions of the government. So, we appeal to
you all, to protest this massive betrayal of poll promises to you,
the common people of India, and start movement to build a real New
India which takes care of 95% of the people not 5% rich, and a
handful of super rich.
Oppose
imperialist globalization, privatization and liberalization.
Stop
tinkering with Food Security Act
Implement
MNREGA on full scale after removing corruption.
Stop
anti-people changes in Land Acquisition Act
Roll
back privatisation of PSUs and public sector banks.
Stop privatisation of Defence production
Stop
price rise
Declare
drought in the country, and immediately take up relief
measures.
Implement
pro-people development policy
With
Revolutionary Greetings
Communist Party of India (Marxist –
Leninist)
Central Committee
18-7-2014
