The Hindu : RSS, Left on the same side on disinvestment issue

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 07, 2002

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National

RSS, Left on the same side on disinvestment issue

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI SEPT. 6. The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which made it clear today that it was not an admirer of the socialist model of economy, nevertheless found itself on the same side as the Left parties in the ongoing war of words on disinvestment.

A day ahead of the scheduled meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Disinvestment (CCD), the CPI(M) politburo stated categorically said that it had all along strongly opposed the "demolition of the public sector undertaken by the Vajpayee Government with a vengeance''. D. Raja of the CPI was equally vehement: "the Government seems determined to destroy the public sector which constitutes the wealth of the nation and has fulfilled a social and national objective.''

The RSS spelt out its view today. M.G. Vaidya, spokesperson, said that while his organisation did not believe in the socialist model and was against "governmentisation'' of all means of production and distribution, certain key questions were relevant on selling profit-making PSUs as well as those in "strategic areas like Railways, Defence production and the oil sector''.

Remaining non-committal on whether the RSS had conveyed its views on disinvestment to the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Vaidya today made it clear that the RSS was not in favour of disposing of oil sector companies through the strategic sale route favoured by the Disinvestment Minister, Arun Shourie. He did not know whether Madan Das Devi, senior RSS functionary in-charge of the BJP, had discussed the issue with top government leaders. Mr. Devi's job was not that of an ambassador, he said.

If some disinvestment in this sector was a must, then it should be done by offloading shares in the market to the public at large, not through strategic sale to a single partner. After all, why should profits accruing to the Government be passed on to private companies? Was not security an issue in this critical sector?

This "debate'' between top government leaders and other political parties, and now the RSS too seems to suggest that at tomorrow's meeting the issue of disinvestment of the Bharat Petroleum and the Hindustan Petroleum would be prised wide open. The Bharatiya Janata Party, however, continues to support of the Government. Its attitude was spelt out by spokesperson, Arun Jaitley, a few days ago, and today it was reiterated by Sunil Shastri, also a party spokesperson. Mr. Shastri was confident that the Government would arrive at a decision, keeping in mind the different suggestions made.

The CPI(M)'s view, of course, was crystal clear. It demanded that the CCD meeting tomorrow should not proceed with the disinvestment of BPCL and HPCL. The Government had itself stated it was against monopolies, but by not allowing PSUs such as Indian Oil to bid for BPCL and HPCL the Government had confirmed the party's worst fears: it was acting to create a giant monopoly in the private sector — helping Reliance Industries, which had already bought IPCL.

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