NEW DELHI: Senior Congress (I) leader Dinesh Singh the latest to pin the band of critics in the party who are unhappy with the government’s economic package apprehends that India may “go the Soviet way” resulting in “total economic chaos”

The former minister in Indira Gandhi’s cabinet has called upon the prime minister and Congress President P.V. Narasimhar Rao to hold a“Narora type of meeting to go into the basics of the new Policy in an environment of change both national and international. There should be serious Consultations within the party involving the recognized leadership of the Congress (I) and not only in government” Singh told ENS on Saturday.

Indira Gandhi had called a two day meeting in Narora in the early 70s with around 50 leaders of the Congress party for a brainstorming session on the panty’s policies. Earlier Jawaharlal Nehruhad held similar meetings with his party colleagues.

Like many others in the party though only a few have so far come out publicly and the others are biding their time till after the completion of the organizational elections Dinesh Singh expressed his unease not so much with the policy of liberalization as with the speed and manner in which it was being implemented without any though to its political fall-out or Preparation to contain it.

“What am I concerned about in the absence of package in which you take into account your national needs. And the national needs of two countries are not the same. Dependence on outside advice is dangerous” the senior leader warned.

Speaking about the adhocism which surrounded the new policy measures Singh lamented “there is no visible conscious policy which will avoid social tension and promote growth”. There was devaluation for instance but nobody had assessed whether it would really boost exports Instead exports had declined. “What has been the gain?” he asked.

Singh said he was unhappy with the price rise but also with the impression which had been given that the policies were “geared to the poor”. Subsidies had been withdrawn which benefited the poor and concessions had been given which helped the rich “It is fine for America to say that subsidies should be withdrawn from the farm sector but they (Americans) have not been able to persuade their European allies.

Referring to the finance minister Dr. Manmohan Singh’s declaration on Friday that an exit policy was around the comer and that a renewal would take care of the workers in the sick public sector units the former commerce minister said. “Today the question is of job creation and not layoffs.” Closures would mean a further drain on the rural economy for the workers would have to return to their villages and add to the unemployment problem there.

In America large industries could afford to lay off people because of social securities. There were also facilities for retraining and reemploying them elsewhere. But this was not the case in India The result would be “tremendous social conflict” with serious implications for the Congress party.

Dinesh Singh is clear that the next electoral struggle would be between the Congress (l) and the BIP on issues of nationalism and not communalism”. The BJP would charge the Congress movement of yielding to pressure from outside. “That’s where the economic package becomes very important and its fallout a major issue”.

Moreover countries where these policies had succeeded were those which were not democracies unlike India They also had more time to implement them Singh said “The danger is that we may go the Soviet way where the Policies of liberalization desirable as they are have resulted in total economic change. With all their faults the old policies provided at least food and bread to people” “Thanks to the new policies India was now going to import wheat when the country had been self-sufficient in wheat and rice and been exporting them.

Dinesh Singh defended the Nehruvian model the basis of which was “self-reliance”. A major plank of the Nehruvian model was the policy of non-alignment which was “very relevant today” in the light of economic challenges he said.

When the movement was conceived the threat was to political freedom today the threat is to economic freedoms “Non alignment becomes even more important today to preserve our economic interest when there is only one supreme power” Singh said.

The former commerce minister Said that the governments “prevarication” on the Dunkel proposals of GATT showed that they “do not suit us” Not only should there have been wide-ranging consultations on the issue in the country but the government should have also held consultations with other like-minded countries particularly China and those in the: non-aligned movement.

Article extracted from this publication >> January 31, 1992