By
Nitya Chakraborty
With the last session of the 16th Lok
Sabha ending on February 13, the stage is set for the holding of Lok Sabha
elections in April/May 2019. The opposition parties have at last decided on
drafting a common minimum programme for fighting the ruling NDA led by the BJP
and the responsibility of drafting the CMP has been given to the Congress
President Rahul Gandhi at the meeting of the senior leaders of the opposition
on Wednesday night at NCP leader Sharad Pawar’s residence.
As the leader of the largest opposition
party, Rahul will be drafting the CMP and this will be finalized as the
manifesto of the opposition at the meeting of the senior leaders soon. There is
little time left as the Election Commission is expected to announce the poll dates
in the first part of March this year giving only five weeks for the first phase
of polling to start.
The opposition parties are showing
signs of maturity in dealing with the areas of differences in the states. While
both the Congress president Rahul Gandhi and the West Bengal Chief Minister and
Trinamool Congress president Mamata Banerjee have talked of pre poll alliance
in the states, wherever possible, the best option is to ensure that maximum
efforts are given to prevention of division of anti-BJP votes.There will be
some mutual contests among the anti-BJP opposition parties in the states due to
local compulsions, but the prime objective is to guarantee post poll alliance
of these opposition parties against the BJP after the Lok Sabha elections.
The formulation of the right CMP has
assumed special importance this time for the opposition parties because the
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is trying to hijack pro-people agenda to project
BJP as working for the poor and te opposition CMP has to demarcate itself from
the fake PM agenda and aggressively put forward a pro-people agenda which will
focus on the real issues of the farmers and the new programmes for the
generation of jobs for the unemployed youth.
Rahul Gandhi has a panel of the
Congress Party for the preparation of the party manifesto. He has also before
him the 1996 CMP of the opposition parties, supported by the Congress as also
te manifesto of the Congress Party for 2004 Lok Sabha elections. Only recently
the Congress prepared a pro people manifesto for the state assembly elections
in Chhattisgarh. Rahul Gandhi has also articulated in recent days his proposal
for a minimum income guarantee scheme for the poor.
All these ideas which will give a big
push to the upgradation of the lives of the people below the poverty line as
also the lower middle class, have to be given a vigorous push and the basic
idea that should be the motivating force is that the economic policies have to benefit
the majority and not few. The economic policies and the social programmes have to
transform the society so that the inequalities are reduced. The growth process
has to be based on equity and generation of more jobs not like the Modi model
of jobless growth or even the Manmohan years in the second phase when the crony
capitalists had a big sway on the government.
Within this broad framework of equity
and social justice, two areas will have to be given maximum
attention-distressed farmers and unemployed youth. Farmers have to be given a
new deal comprising assured income, freedom from indebtedness and sustainable
farm practices. A document titled Manifesto for Change drafted by some eminent
civil society leaders led by lawyer activist Prashant Bhushan, has suggested
statutory assurance for remunerative prices, at least 50 per cent on C2 cost of
cultivation, one time comprehensive loan waiver along with the setting up of a
National Debt Commission and extension of all benefits meant for farmers to
tenant farmers, share croppers, women farmers, adivasi farmers, landless
cultivators and livestock rearers.
There is need for universal basic
services and social security for the underprivileged. especially ensuring good
education for the poor and free healthcare for the poor in real terms. All the
latest facilities have to be ensured to bring a transformation in the
healthcare system in the rural and semi urban areas. Modi Government’s Ayushman
Bharat scheme has many gaps and the senior citizens of te lower middle class
are still being denied the free medical facilities though the health care costs
have become prohibitive. The CMP of the opposition has to bring cheers to the
senior citizens both in terms of social security and healthcare. The state should
take the entire responsibility of health care of the senior citizens who cannot
afford private health care facilities due to high costs.
Raul Gandhi has been continuously
talking about the job crisis and this should be the core issue in the CMP to
draw attention of the job seeking young people who were misled by the BJP and Narendra
Modi before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. With the help of experts, Rahul has
to prepare an ambitious job generation programme based on the speedy revival of
the MSMEs and the informal sector of the rural economy. The Skill India Mission
of the Modi regime is a disaster by now. It has to be rejuvenated and the start
ups will have to be given new push in te right direction doing away with the
hype without substance of the Modi regime.
The rejuvenation of the public sector
undertakings is another area which has to be focused in the CMP. The opposition
CMP has to declare its full confidence in the PSUs role in pepping up the
Indian economy and all wrongdoings by the NDA regime including affecting
adversely the prospects of the premier defence manufacturing company HAL, have
to be corrected. A mega plan for the revival of public sector has to be worked
out for giving a new direction in the economy.
Apart there are other areas for
restoration of civil liberties, electoral reforms, police reforms for restoring
the values of the Indian Republic. The CMP as to be the manifesto for a real
change. Just a change of regime does not bring improvement in lives of te
masses, it is the change in policies and its implementation that matter. Rahul
Gandhi and the non-BJP opposition have to be the agent of change. If only the
masses come to realize that the opposition parties really mean what they promise,
they will be inspired and actively participate in bringing about the desired
change in the elections. Rahul, Mamata and Sharad Pawar have to play that role
of game changer in this crucial year of Indian polity.
(IPA Service)
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