The Hindu : National : Government will not fall: Karat

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Thursday, Sep 30, 2004

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Government will not fall: Karat

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, SEPT. 29. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader, Prakash Karat, said here today that the Left was not against foreign consultants in the Planning Commission but against the representatives of the World Bank, and similar foreign organisations whatever the nationality of these representatives.

But those who thought that these differences would lead to the UPA Government's fall "are living in a fool's paradise."

He was addressing 150 activists of the Democratic Youth Federation of India at a three-day "political school" here. Mr. Karat made it clear that the CPI(M) would never allow these foreign institutions to become part of India's sovereign Planning process.

"Even the Congress Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, has gone on record to state that the World Bank inspired policies of [the former Chief Minister] Chandrababu Naidu had ruined the economy of the State. Despite this the Congress-led UPA Government invited representatives from the very same World Bank to participate in the planning process," he said.

"We do not share the BJP's chauvinism regarding foreigners. There may be foreigners who can contribute something positive to India's planning process. We are only against these international organisations as they are not answerable to the Indian people and their economic policies are ruining our economy," he said.

Every Government, whether in the States or at the Centre, which had followed the World Bank's prescriptions on economic policy had been decisively rejected by the Indian voter, Mr. Karat said.

The popular mandate was clearly for alternative economic policies and the UPA's Common Minimum Programme, with its emphasis on agriculture, employment, health and education, reflected this basic political fact.

But the Government would not be able to generate the resources to meet these commitments if it continued with the economic policies of privatisation, liberalisation and globalisation.

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