People's Democracy

THE WEEK IN PARLIAMENT

Subhas Ray

WHILE the RSS-VHP’s anti-Muslim pogrom is continuing in Gujarat for ten weeks, the union government insulted our freedom fighters by naming the Port Blair airport in the Andamans after V D Savarkar. One will note that Savarkar, father of the BJP’s Hindutva ideology, had sought clemency from the British when he was lodged in the Andaman Cellular Jail. It was Savarkar who sowed, in his book Hindutva, the seeds of discord that are now bearing poisonous fruits in Gujarat. Protesting against this renaming on May 8, Basudeb Acharya of the CPI(M) wondered how the union home minister could compare Savarkar with Subhash Chandra Bose and other freedom fighters.

Amid interruptions from the treasury benches, Acharya quoted from Savarkar’s 1913 letter for clemency: "…..my conversion to the constitutional line would bring back all those misled young men in India and abroad who were once looking up to me as their guide. I am ready to serve the government in any capacity they like, for as my conversion is conscientious so I hope my future conduct would be. By keeping me in jail, nothing can be got in comparison to what would be otherwise. The mighty alone can afford to be merciful and, therefore, where else can the prodigal son return but to the parental doors of the government!"

Savarkar’s November 14, 1913 letter asking for forgiveness was also reprinted in Penal Settlement in Andamans, published by the Gazetteers Unit of the union ministry of education. Acharya said renaming the Port Blair airport after one who described himself as a "prodigal son" of the British, longing to "return to the parental doors," is an insult to all freedom fighters. He then demanded that the said airport be renamed as Shaheed Smarak Airport.

On the same day, Rajya Sabha was thrown into turmoil over the coffin scam. This led to an adjournment for 15 minutes. Later the entire opposition barring the AIADMK walked out. Opposition members were seen on their feet demanding the defence minister’s resignation and a statement from the prime minister on a court notice to the CBI to register cases against those involved in the Tehelka expose. Opposition members raised slogans like "George Hatao, Desh Bachao" and said they did not recognise him as defence minister. They staged a walkout when the chairman, Krishan Kant, allowed Fernandes to make his statement.

On May 7, Rajya Sabha discussed the working of the external affairs ministry. From the CPI(M) side, Sarla Maheshwari sharply attacked the NDA government for going against the national interest in the foreign policy sphere. The current policy has alienated our friends and created more enemies in the world. India was once a leader of the non-aligned world. Despite the USA’s anti-India stance on many issues, our government adopts a pro-US policy. It has internationalised the Kashmir issue. The US does not want India to emerge as a powerful country and is aiding Pakistan openly.

The CPI(M) member also touched upon the international reactions to the Gujarat genocide. She said it is so horrible that it has shaken the world community. Gujarat is no more an internal matter. We cannot expect the world to ignore it. The European Union expressed anguish over it. This is what one could expect. The government said these countries were interfering in India’s internal matters. But it kept mum when Christina Rocca of the US administration commented on Gujarat. In fact, the NDA government is being controlled by the RSS that always advocated a pro-US policy. The story of the self-proclaimed RSS brand patriots speaks volumes about their slavish attitude to imperialism. Concluding, Maheshwari stressed the need to strengthen the non-aligned movement and forge cooperation between India, Russia and China.

On May 9, Basudeb Acharya drew Lok Sabha’s attention to the situation arising out of the centre’s refusal to revive the Indian Iron and Steel Company (IISCO). He said the IISCO is one of the best-located steel plants in the country, from the viewpoints of raw materials, marketing, etc. By exploiting the potential of its collieries and with a small capital investment in Burnpur steel plant, the IISCO can be turned into a profit-making entity. It has even the potential of becoming the best-integrated steel plant in the country. With its nationalisation in 1972, it became a wholly owned subsidiary of the Steel Authority of India Ltd (SAIL). Since then, no investment was made to modernise IISCO and it became sick. The plants that were set up 40 or 50 years ago are still in use. Today, it has a workforce of about 23,000, including those in its collieries and iron ore mines. Besides, there are hundreds of small scale units and about 30 small and medium sized cement plants in and around Burnpur. Hundreds of ancillary units, where thousands of workers are employed, depend on the slag supplied by IISCO. If IISCO is wound up, the economy of West Bengal and Jharkhand would get adversely affected, Acharya reminded.

Acharya also said the statement the steel minister made on the day gave no definite assurance about IISCO revival. A task force will again be set up to examine the relevant issues including proposed joint venture’s economic viability and recommend the parameters to make this venture viable. The SAIL proposed an alternative revival package, based on the MECON’s report, and submitted it to the ministry at least a year back. But the government is adopting a delaying tactic, not taking a final decision in this regard. The finance minister is ready to provide Rs 540 crore for VRS. Thus the cat has come out of the bag. The IISCO revival needs only Rs 1040 crore, that too over three years. Why then is a task force again being appointed, he asked.

Representatives of all political parties met the prime minister and asked for an assurance that the government would seriously consider the IISCO revival. Acharya said the prime minister had given them the assurance. But the government representative in the BIFR meeting on April 1 sought for a six months extension, knowing well that the BIFR won’t give any extension unless the government was in a position to submit a revival package. The BIFR did give three months extension with the stricture that if no revival package was submitted by June 1, it would not call any further meeting and will unilaterally declare IISCO as closed. This government has, Acharya said, enough funds to throw out the employees but none for revival of this company.

Lok Sabha has passed the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill 2001. Rupchand Pal, CPI(M), initiated the debate. He opposed the bill, warning that it would have serious consequences for our economy because it would lead to pre-nationalisation days when the public money was looted and national savings were misused. True the subsidiaries of the General Insurance Corporation (GIC) have not been performing well. Yet they may be said to be at par with some of the best in the world in terms of claim settlement, service to the people and the quality of their schemes. After having opened up the insurance sector, the government decided to de-link and de-merge the GIC’s subsidiaries. Today, while merger is the buzzword the world over, our government is seeking to weaken a merged entity that has got the financial strength to offer stiff competition to the private sector entities in the field. After meeting the GIC management, the trade unions and all those related to the industry, the Committee on Public Undertakings said they all were unanimously against the de-merger as this would weaken the insurance sector. Still the government is doing it to serve the interests of some private agencies without any sanction of the parliament. The executive decision was taken without the approval of this august house. The Committee on Subordinate Legislation also criticised it. The government owes as explanation to the house as to why it did so, Pal insisted.

Private insurance operators, Pal said, do not care for any social obligations. Crop Insurance is, for instance, one major step which can, at least partly, save the farmers from distress. But still now, the government has no policy in this regard. The whole obligation is borne by the GIC only. The third-party motor vehicle insurance is draining out the profits of general insurance sector in a big way. These and many other problems would come up with the wrong policy of opening up at the WTO diktat. Our experience with the private sector Indian or foreign banks is that they do not fulfil any social obligations. Private insurance companies too are just out to cheat the people of this country, he said.

Pal also reminded the house of the finance minister’s assurance during his reply to the debate on the IRDA bill, that the interests of the public sector, of the workers and employees would be fully protected. Now he is asking them to take VRS, go home and sleep. Our public sector is not utilising the professionals of this country; the private sector is poaching them. A public sector insurance professional of international repute in our country was offered Rs 2 crore. On the other hand, the government did not even consult the GIC management on the issue of de-merger. Pal asked: Is this the way our patriotic professionals would be treated? Is this the way our institutions, built up with the sweat and blood of our workers, officers and masses, would be ruined in the interest of some foreign private insurance company? The fact is that the government has taken the disastrous de-merger decision under the influence of insurance multinationals. Expressing opposition to the bill once again, Pal warned that the whole insurance industry throughout the country would come to a standstill in protest, within 24 hours, if the bill were passed.

On May 10, the last day of the week, the Shiv Sena’s Manohar Joshi was elected the Lok Sabha speaker.