People's Democracy

DIABOLIC FASCISTIC AGENDA 

Disinvestment Doublespeak

Sitaram Yechury

 TWO developments during the course of  this week confirm, once again -- if confirmation was ever needed -- the  true fascistic agenda of the Saffron Brigade.   The first is Advani's emphatic assertion that the perpetrator of the worst State-sponsored  communal genocide in Gujarat -- Narendra Modi -- will be the BJP's chief ministerial candidate leading the electoral campaign.  The second is the charade being enacted over the disinvestment process initiated by this Vajpayee government. (See page 4 for the economic angle )

 First, let us take up the so-called opposition to disinvestment aired by the defence minister, the RSS, its affiliates like the Swadeshi Jagran Manch etc. For full three years and more, these organisations and individuals merrily allowed the loot of India's assets through disinvestment without even a murmur of opposition.  Then why, all of a sudden, such opposition now?  If the Minister for Disinvestment (it will be more appropriate to describe him as the `Minister for Disinformation') is to be  believed, then this opposition is the proxy of a corporate war.  He, thus, inadvertently admits that his cabinet colleagues are aligned to their corporate bosses more than to the NDA!

 The defence minister, on the contrary, argues that his opposition is  to prevent the emergence of a huge private monopoly in the petroleum sector.   Hence, the argument that HPCL and BPCL should not be handed over to a strategic partner who naturally would be a powerful petroleum sector corporate.   Even if the defence minister is to be taken at face value, then why was he silent  when the public sector petroleum giant, IPCI, was handed over to the  private sector petroleum giant, Reliance Industries? Was this not a blatant move to create a huge private monopoly? Does this not negate the very rationale offered by this Vajpayee government that disinvestment is required to break up monopolies and create healthy competition? Having supported that particular strategic sale of IPCL,  with what  moral right does the defence minister oppose the strategic sale of BPCL and HPCL now? 

 Clearly, these are not the reasons.  The sudden pretense  of opposition comes from the realisation that over these three years, the economic policies pursued by this Vajpayee government have imposed such severe burdens  on the people that there is a palpably growing resentment among the people.  The fear that this could well turn into a political opposition to the ruling coalition is mounting. The need to address this fear becomes all the more important considering the series of assembly elections slated in next year  and the general elections a year later. There is, therefore,  a need to misguide the people and deflect their anger away from the government. Hence, this drama of opposition to the disinvestment process now. That this is a farce is reinforced by the fact that during this entire decade of economic reforms, the CPI(M) and the Left which consistently opposed and continues to oppose  privatisation has been the target of the defence minister's ire. 

 This is a classic example of how fascistic forces seek to also occupy the opposition's space and thus try to mislead the masses. All accounts of fascism's experience by people of the stature of Antonio Gramci, Georgi Dimitrov, Rajni Palme Dutt and others  point out the basic fact that fascism seeks to always enter both sides of a debate. This, it does, in order to prevent the political opposition against its rule from consolidating.  As Dimitrov says, "It is in the interests of the most reactionary circles  of the bourgeoisie that fascism intercepts the disappointed masses". Further, "fascism acts in the interests of  extreme imperialists but presents itself to the masses in the guise of a wrong nation and appeals to outraged  `national' sentiments". 

 The health of the Indian economy today is disastrous. The widespread drought leading to starvation deaths and distress suicides has only compounded the  misery of the people who are already groaning under the burdens of this government's economic policies. For two years in a row,  employment generation has been in the negative. Industry is stagnating. The global economic recession is virtually reversing the information technology boom seen in recent years.  The government, acting in the interests of  imperialist capital and domestic big bourgeoisie, cannot but follow policies that will only cause greater misery for the people. 

 Under these circumstances, even to retain some of its support base, it is necessary for the BJP-led NDA to orchestrate the sound and fury of  ostensible opposition  for public consumption.  This is the real intention of this drama over disinvestment.

 Of course, there is also the element of sleaze, that is noted in the accompanying editorial in this issue.   Reports now suggest that the defence minister and others have agreed to a compromise on allowing the disinvestment of HPCL and BPCL.  This, in turn, lays the basis for a further loot in the stock market since  the share prices which had crashed following the deferment of the  disinvestment process will now again soar following this so-called "compromise".

 However, the best way for the Saffron Brigade to divert the people's attention away from pressing day-to-day  problems and, thus, to deflect their anger against the government is to sharpen communal polarisation. Advani's assertion regarding Narendra Modi must be  seen in this context. The deputy prime minister has, in fact, gone to the extent  of stating that the outcome of Gujarat polls will determine the course of the future elections to the assemblies and the Parliament.  Very clearly, what is in store is the Modification of India which we spoke  of in these columns on earlier occasions.

 This is the classic pattern adopted by the communal fascistic forces. While relentlessly pursuing pro-imperialist reactionary policies, they seek to deflect the disenchantment and consequent anger of the people against these very policies into communal polarisation.  Thus,  while mortgaging the economy and destroying its self-reliant basis, communal fascistic forces seek to advance their agenda of replacing  the secular democratic character of the Indian republic  with a rabidly intolerant fascistic "Hindu Rashtra". 

 Such is the  diabolic methodology of orchestrating opposition to its own policies as the ruse to mislead the people.  It is this perfidy that needs to be exposed.  The elections in Gujarat will truly mark a watershed for India's future. The country and the overwhelming majority of its people cannot be allowed to be hijacked by this communal fascistic juggernaut. At all costs, they have to be defeated in order to save India, as we know of it today.