Apparently, the CPI has decided not to pull the plug on the existing government for the time being. A plethora of reasons have been presented for this bold decision by our red brothers. No prizes for guessing the first reason, the ‘oh-so-communal’ BJP would benefit if the existing government were to collapse now. This ‘chanakian’ move is meant to ensure that the wave of popular support that the BJP seems to be getting quells down before the next general election. So, the CPI has decided to prolong discontent and misgovernance because no ground must be lost to the ‘communofascists’ even if it means destroying the economy and emptying the exchequer. Brilliant! I adore their commitment to the national cause.
The second reason is that it sees a ‘glorious’ opportunity for the UPA government to correct its policies in the wake of the electoral rejection in karnataka. Hmmm, so we might as well strap on our seat belts and watch another slew of superficial welfare programmes and schemes to benefit the common man being brandished to prove the ‘unequivocal commitment’ to the common minimum programme. The CPI has also warned the government not to raise petrol and diesel prices because the common man cannot bear such a large burden. You can bear bad roads, lack of proper health care, and a non functional and corrupt bureaucracy , but if petrol prices are raised by 5 rupees a litre, all hell breaks loose. So who must bear the burden, the public sector oil companies ofcourse. Who cares if they lose 600 crores a day, the common man must not suffer. Who cares if the head of a public sector oil company announces that his organisation will go bankrupt by september if prices are not raised, the common man cannot be touched. It will be interesting to see how the common man reacts if he is turned away from petrol stations in five months. Petrol will be cheap, but there will be a catch- it wont be available. Despite the various steps that our comrades suggest to reduce the burden on oil companies (oil bonds, cut in duty blah blah), no significant improvement in the situation can occur unless the end user, the quintessential aam admi wakes up to reality and bears a part of the burden. Ofcourse one cannot expect the guardian angels of the proletariat to recognise that. They see only what they want to see, the rest is irrelevant or an imperialist conspiracy.
Ok, back to the topic, the real reason why the followers of the little red book wont pull the plug on the government right now, despite making threatening noises is that they know deep within that no one will ever regard them as being important after the next general elections. Their fear is not of a BJP victory, but of a loss for the left. To them 2004 was like winning a lottery. The possibility of that ever happening again, despite what our glorious media persons say is very very minute. The aam aadmi cannot survive another communist plague.
Tags: aam aadmi, common minimum programme, CPI, oil prices, welfare schemes
