By
Shameem Faizee
After getting thoroughly exposed in
the Rafale deal, nobody is ready to believe that Narendra Modi government has
zero tolerance for corruption. This has proved to be the most corrupt in the
shortest period of over four years. Now it is using different pretexts to
divert the attention of people from the real issues. There are three pertinent
questions in this regard the Modi government is not ready to answer. First, why
has the quantity of the fighter jet Rafale been reduced from 126 to 36? With
this the country’s security has been endangered. Second, the government is
spending the same amount of money for the fighter jets which it was to pay for
more than three times the number. Third all these have been done to remove from
Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) from the deal and induct private party Anil
Ambani. Anil Ambani will get Rs 30,000 crore from the government of India for
doing nothing.
‘Chowkidar Chor Hai’ has become so
common a phrase that the government itself is using it to divert the attention
of the people from its other failures. For instance, Union minister Arun
Jaitley has been propagating for long that there is no unemployment. On the
contrary the number of unemployed has gone up and the number of employed has
got reduced. Jaitley created the theory that with the rise in the number of
subscribers to the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) scheme, there is rise in the
number of new jobs created. This is humbug. In fact it is this government which
made EPF scheme compulsory for those companies employing even ten people. Those
employees who have become now members are in fact old ones who have opted for
the EPF under compulsion. There is no new employment involved.
The fact is that during the four years
of Modi rule, the actual employment number has gone down. Demonetisation has
played havoc with the economy. Thousands and thousands of organised and
unorganised workers have been thrown out of their jobs. The government data
itself admits that investments in industrial and trade sectors have gone down,
resulting in the retrenchment of thousands of workers. In place of reviewing
the wrong economic policies that have caused growth in unemployment, the Modi
government is forcing data holders to alter the figures to suit the government
claims that has resulted in the resignation of some top officials in the
statistical organisation. National Statistical Commission (NSC) acting chairman
P C Mohanan and member J V Meenakshi have resigned on January 28, 2019 in
protest. Mohanan, a career statistician and Meenakshi, a professor at the Delhi
School of Economics were appointed by the Modi government as members in the NSC
in June 2017.
Arun Jaitley in place of realising the
fault is trying to justify his unjustifiable claims. Other ministers are also
doing the same thing. Now the students and youth are on the streets demanding
jobs. They are also being supported by university teachers who are also on war
path. The AISF and other student organisations are holding a March to
Parliament on February 18, 2019 The student organisations — AISF, SFI, AIDSO,
PSU and AISB have given the joint call with the slogan: Save Education, Save
Democracy, Save Nation. The march will be demanding free, compulsory and
scientific education and enactment of Bhagat Singh National Employment
Guarantee Act (BNEGA).
On the next day, February 19, AIFUCTO
is organising People’s March with the slogan Save Education, Save Campus, Save
Nation, demanding protections of teachers’ rights and strengthening of
public-funded education system. Under the banner of Joint Forum for Movement on
Education all teachers’ organisations — KG to PG, students organisations,
employees’ organizations and civil society organisations will be participating
in the unprecedented and historic campaign.
Like unemployment, price-rise is a
chronic disease which has been always there in our economic system. But the
previous governments have pretended to control it. The ministers of Modi
government are shamelessly justifying it while the producers (farmers) are not
even getting an amount to meet even the cost of production. The consumer is forced
to pay enhanced prices every year.
The reality is that from day one, the
Narendra Modi government has been serving the interests of Adanis and Ambanis.
In its Political Resolution adopted at the 23rd Party Congress at Kollam, CPI
has said in the beginning itself that the Narendra Modi government is not an
ordinary change of one bourgeois government by another. It was brought to power
by the corporate capital to serve its interests.
Now when the people have got the
opportunity, the Narendra Modi government has to be thrown out lock, stock and
barrel. (IPA Service)
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