Rashtrapati Election — CPI Stand

MAINSTREAM, VOL L, NO 29, JULY 7, 2012 Rashtrapati Election — CPI Stand by S. SUDHAKAR REDDY The election of the Rashtrapati, scheduled for July 19, has sparked intense debate in the media as well as in political circles as differences in major political groupings have come to the surface and there are speculations on possible political realignments. But most of the speculations seem to be out of context because any realignment has to materialise on the basis of concrete socio-economic policies. The National Executive of the Communist Party of India, keeping in view the political tactics adopted at its Patna Congress, resolved to abstain from the presidential poll voting as our Party cannot support the candidates of parties or groups of parties that are wedded to implementation of the disastrous economic course of neo-liberalism. The call of the Party Congress was for continuous struggle against neo-liberalism as well as mobilisation of the masses and political forces towards an alternative to these policies. The presidential election this time assumed significance for two reasons: One, in the electoral college for the presidential poll, neither any political party on its own nor any of the groupings of political parties on their own had a majority. Second, the present political situation is such that no political party or pre-poll alliance is expected to gain majority. This will create a very complex situation for the new incumbent of Rashtrapati Bhavan. In such a situation, the Left rightly called for a national consensus on the election of the President and hoped that the Congress as the biggest partner of the ruling alliance will take initiative towards it and consult all parties in that regard. The Congress miserably failed in this task. It floated several names but never consulted others. Even when one of the constituents of the UPA was talked to on the issue, not one but two names were suggested. Only after deciding on its candidate did the Prime Minister make phone calls to seek support of others for the Congress candidate. Much before the Congress announced the candidature of Pranab Mukherjee, the AIADMK leader and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, J. Jayalalithaa, and the Chief Minister of Orissa, Naveen Patnaik, proposed the candidature of P.A. Sangma as the presidential candidate and requested the Left and other parties to support him. Sangma is one of the tall leaders of the tribals, but does not have much support from others. The Chief Minister of West Bengal and TMC leader, Mamata Benerjee, along with Mulayam Singh of the SP proposed the names of former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee as their choices. The BJP tried to own Abdul Kalam but he withdrew from the contest as the numbers were not in his favour. Mulayam Singh too backed out within 24 hours. Like the Congress, the BJP too kept delaying for long to declare its choice. It finally opted to adopt Sangma, not for any love for the tribal leader but in the hope that the option could win over those who had initially proposed his name. The JD (U) differed with the BJP and decided to support Pranab. The oldest ally of the BJP, the Shiv Sena, too kept away from it and extended support to Pranab. The SP, BSP, Lok Janshakti Party, RJD, and National Conference decided to support Pranab. The CPI-M and Forward Block also decided to support Pranab. In the meeting of the Left Parties on June 21, the CPI made it clear that it cannot support a candidate of the Congress party, since we are fighting against the anti-people policies that are adopted by the Congress and UPA-II. The ideal situation would have been to project a Left-sponsored candidate and mobilise the secular, democratic forces to project our opposition to the anti-people economic and pro-imperialist foreign policies of the UPA-II Government. But it was too late. Hence we proposed abstaining from the voting that was later endorsed by the National Executive of our Party. Let there be no doubt that the Left has a common approach of opposing the neo-liberal economic policies of the UPA-II Government. These policies have resulted in the unprecedented rise in prices of almost all essential commodities (inflation is already in double digit), slowdown in the economic sphere (the GDP growth rate has slipped down to around five per cent), the manufacturing sector’s growth rate is negative, the rupee’s exchange value has touched a record low of Rs 58 per dollar, and the cleavage between the haves and have-nots keeps widening. The government is not ready to even ensure food security and refuses to rebuild the mechanism of the universal Public Distribution System (PDS). The Left has called for a joint mass campaign on these issues from July 1. Will it be appropriate to support the candidate of the dispensation that is bent upon pursuing this disastrous course? The Congress as the leader of the UPA is not ready for any introspection on economic and foreign policies. Rather, it intends to pursue these more ruthlessly. After the announcement of the candidature of Pranab Mukharjee as the presidential candidate, the Prime Minister thrice warned about hard decisions and pledged $ 10 billion to the IMF (equalling Rs 57,000 crores) while refusing to bring the Food Security Bill, Lok Pal Bill in Parliament. It seems Dr Manmohan Singh has fully swallowed the new mantra of bailout packages of the IMF that has brought a number of European countries to the brink of bankruptcy. This package, for which the Indian fund has been pledged, envisages nationalisation of private debt and cut in public spending in sectors like education, public health and slashing of pensions and wages. In foreign policy there is a change in favour of the USA, losing other friends and totally throwing out the nationally accepted non-aligned policy. The policies are generally pro-corporate and anti-people. Hence the CPI felt that we cannot vote for a Congress candidate in such circumstances. If we vote for the Congress and still call for struggles against the anti-people policies of the government, the credibility of the Party will be at a loss. We cannot support any NDA backed candidate. It is too late to put up a third candidate, as most of the parties have already made up their choices. Some quarters have raised the question that abstaining from voting is undemocratic. This is not true. As the provision for rejection is not there, abstaining is the only alternative though not much desirable. Similarly, a party-centric or state-centric position in a national poll will be amateurish to say the least. We cannot support the entry of FDI in multi-brand retail trade only because some other party inimical to us is opposing it. • IN spite of the differences between the Left parties on the issue of the presidential elections, Left Unity will continue. We agreed to disagree on this particular issue. Our joint struggles will continue. Actually, the National Executive of the Party has reiterated its commitment to make the food security campaign starting from July 1, 2012 a success. The CPI had differed on issues like Nandigram and Singur earlier but never treated them as matters leading to a breaking-point. Strengthe-ning the Left for greater Left and democratic unity is of key importance to implement the tactical line adopted at the Patna Congress of the Party. The RSP has also taken a similar stand along with the CPI to abstain from the election. The Congress and BJP both have lost credibility due to their shameless pursuance of neo-liberalism and their bid to impose a two-party system to continue the hegemony of the neo-liberalists in one form or the other has been totally exposed. It is time for the Left to unitedly work for a fresh re-alignment of forces on the basis of an alternative to neo-liberalism. Apart from their collaboration on implementation of the suicidal economic policies, both the parties are stinking with corruption. If the Congress has to send a few Ministers and MPs to jail, the BJP had to force two of its Chief Ministers to resign and sack all its three Ministers in Punjab due to corruption charges. In the recent elections, the rejection of the Congress in UP and Punjab and in by-elections in different States including in Andhra Pradesh shows the lack of support among the people for it. The BJP and NDA are equally discredited. The BJP lost power in Uttarakhand and its strength was reduced in UP and Punjab. People are on the move. Many struggles of peasants, workers, Adivasis, Dalits and other sections of people are taking place. The POSCO struggle has completed eight years but the fighting spirit continues. More struggles are coming up. There is uneasiness in the situation. There is a big churning in politics. It is a positive sign that the JD(U) is moving away from the BJP. They may go the way of the BJD of Orissa showing the BJP its place. So far as the mercurial temperament of Mamata Banerjee is concerned, nothing can be predicted. There is a necessity and possibility of realignment of political forces in the country. Secular parties should leave the NDA. Regional democratic parties should abandon the Congress and UPA, which is a sinking ship. Just regrouping of the non-Congress, non-BJP parties will not make a meaningful alternative. There should be clarity on the pro-people economic policies and commitment to control prices, inflation and corruption. The struggles of the Left Parties and masses on various basic issues will create a favourable atmosphere for a new alignment of political forces in the country. Our aim should be to bring the largest section of masses into struggles. Let us carry forward the call of the 21st Congress of the CPI for massive, militant struggles of the people, for a decisive turn of the nation towards the Left. The author is the General Secretary of the Communist Party of India.