Strong Left is the Need of the Hour
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IN the 2004 parliament elections, the BJP was defeated and the Congress could not get sufficient majority to form the government. The Left emerged as a big force with 61 MPs, the CPI(M) with 44 MPs. The Left offered support to Congress to form the government provided a common minimum programme is adopted. In this background, the UPA-I government was formed with Manmohan Singh as the prime minister duly accepting the demand for a common minimum programme.
During that period as part of the common minimum programme, different sections of the people got benefited. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was enacted even though right to job is not a fundamental right. When the country was suddenly thrown into a harsh lockdown during Covid, MGNREGA saved the rural and migrant labour to some extent. Even today it is very much useful to the rural poor. Right to Information Act was also enacted during the same period. Because of that, people have been able to obtain important information from different government departments including the ministries.
Right to Education Act, National Health Mission, Land Acquisition Act were also the products of that regime. Unorganised sector workers constitute 92 per cent of the total workforce and they work without any statutory benefits. A significant factor for unorganised sector workers was the establishment of the Dr. Arjunsen Gupta Committee, which thoroughly analysed their conditions and put forth recommendations. These included formulating a National Social Security Scheme, a national floor level minimum wage, and proposing the creation of a national fund for the unorganised sector workers. The report also underscored the responsibility of both state and central governments in addressing these issues.
Regarding transport workers, the VV Giri National Labour Institute was tasked with studying their challenges and suggesting recommendations. It recommended a social security scheme for unorganised road transport workers. However, due to changed political circumstances, these recommendations were shelved. Additionally, the outright sale and closure of public sector undertakings were halted to some extent, and guidelines for handling struggling sick industries were issued.
All these sections of society have benefited from the implementation of a common minimum programme and the significant presence of the Left in parliament.
Currently, many of the aforementioned measures and policies are facing challenges under the Modi led BJP government. Constitution and various other institutions are under threat. Secularism is under attack. Allocations for MGNREGA are declining, leading to a reduction in the number of working days per person. The RTI Act is being weakened, and the National Education Policy is going to disproportionately impact lower-income groups, and make higher education inaccessible to them. Moreover, 26 labour laws have been repealed, and four labour codes have been enacted, which favor corporate interests and place the working class at a disadvantage, akin to modern-day servitude. Public sector undertakings are being aggressively privatised, with the prime minister openly expressing a belief that "the public sector is born to die." National assets are being transferred to corporations through initiatives like the National Monetisation Pipeline. Unemployment rates have surged, and farmers are staging protests. Overall, the people are experiencing profound distress, while the number of billionaires and their wealth continues to soar.
The Supreme Court's verdict on electoral bonds has sparked nationwide concern. Reports suggest that the Modi government has utilised electoral bonds to benefit the BJP, with companies facing investigations by enforcement agencies reportedly being exonerated after contributing to electoral bonds. Some companies have allegedly secured significant contracts following their contributions. Particularly alarming are reports that pharmaceutical companies implicated in manufacturing counterfeit drugs, endangering public health, have also contributed to electoral bonds, after which cases against them were closed. Some experts have labeled this situation as being the world's largest scam. Among political parties, only the Left parties have vehemently opposed electoral bonds in parliament and have not accepted a single rupee through electoral bonds. CPI(M) is the only political party which challenged the electoral bonds scheme in the Supreme Court, apart from other organisations.
Religion is a purely personal matter, and people in India have the freedom to practice their faith as they choose. It is imperative that the State refrains from interfering in religious matters, and religion should never be exploited for political gain. However, the current scenario reveals a flagrant disregard for constitutional provisions, with religion cynically employed as a tool to garner votes. Minority communities are being intimidated, and religious tensions are escalating.
As a result, the country and its people find themselves in a precarious situation. It is now more critical than ever to have a strong Left presence in parliament to safeguard the interests of the people, uphold secularism, and defend the principles enshrined in the Indian Constitution. The All India Road Transport Workers’ Federation urges everyone, especially road transport workers and their families, to vote for Left and secular parties.
(Courtesy: All India Road Transport Workers’ Federation)
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