Rejecting the remarks made by the High Court to consider privatisation of the State transport corporations, CPI (M) MP T.K. Rangarajan said that just because the government could not manage it effectively, the corporation could not wound up or the buses could be given to private sector.
Speaking at a public meeting to mark the 22nd conference of the CPI (M) madurai unit, he said that the State government remained silent despite bus men struck work for the last five days seeking to settle their demands.
The private sector would not be keen on serving the larger population and in a welfare State, the government had the responsibility to ply its services to far and remote places. When there were many such departments in the government, which did not function with a profit motive, the transport corporations should also be looked upon with the same aspect, he said.
Coming down heavily on BJP, Mr. Rangarajan said that the Centre’s designs facilitated more and more shopping malls to come up in the country and thus eliminate small traders. While the production was going down steadily from the manufacturing sectors, the number of unemployed graduates was increasing, he said.
The banks in the country too were soft with big NPAs, small farmers and students were chased for non-repayment of loans. The debt from corporate India alone accounted for a whopping ₹12 lakh crore, the MP said, and urged the people not to be hoodwinked by the designs to step into Tamil Nadu through backdoor means.
In an apparent reference to actor Rajinikanth’s entry into politics, he said that people should think before they followed such new entrants.
