BY THE time this issue reaches our readers, the monsoon session of Parliament would have concluded. This session will be remembered as one during which the BJP-led regime stood exposed to the core on four major fronts viz. foreign policy, corruption , economy and education.

Yet to recover from the shock of the stock market scam, the freezing of the sale and repurchase of the UTI's US-64 units highlighted one more big financial scandal to surface during the nearly two-year regime of the BJP-led NDA at the centre. What added to the drama was an accusation hurled by an MP of the BJP's oldest allies, the Shiv Sena. The Sena MP, Sanjay Nirpuam during a short duration discussion in Rajya Sabha, on July 30 cast aspersions on the prime minister’s office (PMO) of having influenced the investment decisions taken by the UTI. The prime minister in a bid to stem any further criticism from his own allies and from within the BJP offered to step down at a meeting of his party MPs. While this silenced the detractors from within his party and the NDA coalition, the opposition was satisfied only after the government announced that the JPC probing the stock market scam would also investigate the UTI scam.

The JPC should probe how the UTI, which had substantial stakes in companies like Reliance and ITC, had decided to offload its shares just few weeks before the decision to freeze the resale of its units. The UTI decision on offloading came after pressure was mounted by the ITC and Infosys. That the corporate houses had taken off their money from the UTI indicates that the government was hand in glove with the operatives. Only 81 odd companies out of the more than 1400 companies that the UTI invested in, were performing well.

The UTI’s abrupt decision to freeze the sale and repurchase of its units put at stake hard earned money of over 20 million small investors in the country. Unfortunately, the government sat over the recommendations of the Deepak Parekh committee. The committee had made wide ranging recommendations including the reconstruction of US-64 scheme, making it more debt oriented than equity.

While the government might take satisfaction at not having conceded much ground in parliament, it has lost the moral battle. Its credibility is at its lowest ever. It can no longer take the moral pedestal and indulge in sermonisation.

This loss of credibility at the national level combined with its performance in the states ruled by it will adversely affect its prospects in the Uttar Pradesh and Punjab elections, due shortly. It will be hauled up by the people for reneging on its promises, for the disaster of a regime that they have presented before the people and for pursuing policies that go contrary to the interests of the overwhelming majority of the people.

The second issue concerns the saffronisation of education. Ever since the BJP-led government has come into office it has been striving to undo the basic direction of education -- the goals of democracy, equality and secularism. The first step in this direction was the packing of institutions of higher learning and decision-making bodies with persons known for their close affinity with Hindutva ideology.

Having done this, the ministry of human resources development has launched a concerted attack on the secular and scientific content of curriculum. The infamous ‘National Curriculum Framework for School Education,’ is a blue-print giving school education a narrow, exclusionist, sectarian and obscurantist orientation. Under the guise of providing value education what is being promoted is obscurantist values. The introduction of astrology and vedic mathematics will push the country backwards.

The widespread resentment to these measures is reflected in the refusal by several state governments and universities to introduce the UGC's new courses. The opposition to these measures being pushed through by the BJP was not confined to the non-NDA parties alone. That such an important measure was not even discussed at the NDA level is evident from the staunch protests voiced by the TDP, DMK and the Trinamul in parliament. Several chief ministers have responded positively to the initiative taken by the West Bengal chief minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya to convene a meeting of non-BJP chief ministers to discuss the issue alongwith others.

The third issue that we seek to take up here, on which the BJP stands as much exposed is in relation to India’s foreign policy. The BJP government has totally reversed the foreign policy that has been pursued by the country since 1954. It was a policy which had at its core non-alignment, anti-imperialism, world peace and complete disarmament. This policy while serving India's interests rendered invaluable assistance to national liberation, brought the newly liberated countries together and made them a significant force in the world arena. It was on account of this policy thrust that India was looked upon as a natural leader of the developing countries. Many a national liberation movement was allowed to open office in New Delhi. There was a surge of enthusiasm when the NAM presidentship was handed over to the Indian prime minister, Indira Gandhi in the eighties. But all this now seem to be events that took place somewhere in the distant past, given the pace at which the reversal of India's foreign policy objectives took place.

The ushering in of the BJP at the centre marked a radical shift in India's foreign policy objectives and goals. From being a spokesman for the third world and the underdeveloped countries, the BJP-led government put in place a pro-imperialist perspective. It goes out of its way to unashamedly project itself as being pro-US and act as its junior partner in the region. Nothing could be more humiliating for the patriotic and peace loving people of this country and the world than the spectacle of the Indian government being the first to welcome the announcement of the Bush administration on the National Missile Defence system.

Its brazen support to the Moroccan regime reflected in the withdrawal of recognition to the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic, some time back, combined with its stoic silence on the Israeli attacks on Palestinians has lowered its prestige further in the eyes of the anti-imperialist forces the world over.

The Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat, who used to call India as his second home, will feel ashamed to do so now.

The eleven-month old Intifada has claimed a toll of about 600 lives, of which Palestinians alone are 500. More than 17,000 persons have been injured. The obstinate stand adopted by Israel prime minister Sharon who is committed to the cause of the Israeli settlers on Palestinian land has worsened matters for those supporting the Palestinian cause.

Though the ceasefire under US auspices was agreed to by Israel and the Palestinian authority in mid-June and which did lead to a temporary decrease in the clashes and the death toll, the situation deteriorated again. Israeli intransigence thwarted all efforts to make the Mitchell report the basis for further negotiations. The Mitchell's report calls for an end to violence, cessation of Palestine-Israel hostilities and an end to creation of new settlements in the occupied land by Israel and restarting the negotiations.

The basic demands of the Palestinians are that all the Palestinians should be brought back; East Jerusalem should be made the capital of Palestine; removal of all Israeli settlements and the resettlement of five million Palestinian refugees.

Given the changed world situation, the PLO under pressure from the international community opted for a compromise in the hope that things would move step by step forward towards the realisation of the ultimate objective of a Palestinian homeland. The situation has not gone ahead since the creation of the Palestinian Authority.

On the other hand provocative actions from the Israeli side particularly those by the illegal settlers have only worsened matters. The Israeli government's resort to assassinating individual Palestinian security officers and Hamas and Fateh leaders has led to widespread condemnation worldwide. The Palestinians are now, with increased vigour, calling for the posting of international observers in the sensitive areas. This demand has also found support with the European Union. Ariel Sharon is being persuaded by the US to agree to observers being sent to the trouble spots in the West Bank and Gaza.

During a special UN meeting to discuss the crisis in the Middle East, on August 20, the US, supporting the Israeli position rejected the Arab proposal for UN Security Council action in West Asia. The US rejected a draft resolution circulated by the Palestinians on the issue.

At the same time there are reports that the Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has agreed for talks with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. They both agreed to a suggestion to this end by the German foreign minister, Joschka Fischer. This effort comes about without the involvement of the US but through the initiative of the European Union.

Despite these developments in the Middle East the stoic silence of the government of India is appalling. It has failed to even voice its concern over the escalation of violence and the increasing Israeli attacks in the region.

Whatever be the stand of the BJP-led government, the Indian people cannot forget their anti-imperialist traditions. Having gone through an arduous struggle for decades together, the Indian people have risen as one man in support of national liberation struggles and in support of the people's struggle against imperialism. In the case of the Palestinian cause too, the people of India very much sympathise and support the Palestinian cause.

Another very important issue relates to the economic situation. The overall bad condition of the economy is having an extremely adverse impact on the people's living conditions. The Vajpayee government's ruinous economic policies have spelled disaster for the country. While drought-affected people are going hungry huge foodgrain stocks have piled up in the FCI godowns. Even the Supreme Court was forced to adversely comment on this state of affairs. There has been a steep fall in prices of agricultural commodities under the WTO regime. The employment scenario continues to be grim with the ranks of workers and employees of closed units swelling. Simultaneously, the government is shamelessly trying to sell of the profitable public sector units.

Therefore, on all these four issues -- worsening economic situation, pro-imperialist foreign policy, saffronisation of education and corruption, the BJP-led government stands completely exposed. The central committee of the CPI(M) decided to launch a country-wide movement calling upon the Vajpayee government to "Scrap These Policies Or Quit".

The Party will organise over 2,000 public meetings all over the country between September 7 and 21 on this demand. Over 10 lakh people representing workers, peasants, agricultural labourers, student, youth, women, etc are expected to participate in the picketing of central government offices on September 25, 26 & 27. The entire Party will have to gear up to mobilise the masses to participate in this struggle.

(22 August 2001)