CHANDIGARH: The Samajvadi Janata Party has described the Narsimha Rao government as a corrupt regime which poses a serious threat to the country’s economy. Former Prime Minister and the party leader Chandra Shekhar led the attack on the Center’s economic policies. With the national convention in Delhi around the comer (October 30-31), the resolutions passed at the Chandigarh convention can be taken as indicators of the party’s’ mood. The convention, which was attended by senior party leaders and about 3,000 delegates, referred to Solankis resignation. Jaffer Sharif’s alleged involvement in a rail engine deal and efforts to dilute the stock scam as evidence of the government’s corruption. Former Union Finance Minister, Yashwant Sinha, MP, also, accused the Center of seeking Washington’s guidance for “building up” of the country, adding that the Congress was turning its back on policies set by Nehru, Indira and partially Rajiv.
While opposition leaders and even newspapers welcomed Finance Minister Manmohan Singh’s Budget I described it as representing just three per cent of the population with Singh presuming that 97% of Indians would be unaware of it,” the former Prime Minister said.
The US on London-based economists might be better economists than ours but they simply could not assess the poverty, hunger or pain of an Indian villager Shekhar asserted. The World Bank frames its policies toward developing countries with the sole consideration of gain for itself and the developed countries gains. “About 15 years ago, they wanted us not to go in for industrialization and concentrate on agriculture. Now their suggestions are the other way round and by adhering to which, we have raised the fertilizer prices affecting our agriculture production adversely. We are importing food grains which are the developed country’s gain,” Shekhar explained.
He criticized the “golden hand shake” scheme by which employees are retired before the age of superannuation, saying that an ‘idle mind is the devil’s workshop’. He characterized the scheme as being against Indian culture.
Shekhar condemned the mindless killing of innocents in Punjab and the fake encounters by the state. “Just by ordering killing of militants, we cannot eradicate the militancy, but the militants should also realize by now that they can just kill a few persons which will not make Khalistan.” He suggested that militants in Punjab and in other states also, should be convinced through negotiations and not crushed.
Sharma said the Congress was discouraging defections because the Opposition parties are unable to bridge the gap between the government and the people.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 2, 1992
