Shekhar Fears Uprising Against Liberalisation

Former Prime Minister Chadrashekhar feels the day is not far when 90 per cent people in the country revolt against the policies of economic liberalisation and force policy-makers to give up such measures which catered to barely five per cent of the people.

I shudder to think of that situation, he said in an interview yesterday.

Had some BJP members not revolted against senior leaders like Atal Behari Vajpayee, the controversial Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) bill would have been passed in the Lok Sabha, he says. Such open dissent, he says, is a healthy sign. He, however, deplored the growing tendency among parliamentarians to change views and stands on key issues frequently.

The day the IRA bill was withdrawn, he said the Left leaders announced before the lunch recess that they would go along with the BJPs amendments. But when they met him in the lobby, they told him they would vote against the amendments on the pretext of upholding secularism. He charged every party of putting up a pretence of adhering to a certain ideology in Parliament and outside.

According to Chandrashekhar, most of those who supported economic liberalisation five years ago were now against it. He said many industrialists now preferred to become traders, since there was more money there.

The fate of the IRA bill was the latest example of how erstwhile supporters of liberalisation were turning against it, he said.

Recalling a meeting with five ambassadors of western countries recently, he said he was asked why he was opposition the liberalisation policies.

He said he told them that his opposition was in their interest. He said in a country like India it does not take much provocation for lakhs of workers to take to the streets, demolish offices and hound foreigners or those seen to be working against their interests.

Reiterating his known views on how India can find solutions to its problem of poverty within, he said there was no problem that cannot be solved by Indians themselves, without seeking help from outside.

The basic issues confronting the country were being ignored in the rush to pander to the elite who numbered barely five per cent.

There is so much `dikhawa (pretence) in parliament. P Chidambaram was in close touch with the BJP on the IRA bill, the Left leaders have to work with the BJP every day.

How can you practice untouchability in the house in the name of secularism in such a situation? The BJP is also divided; its stand is only to be able to talk about `swadeshi and support liberalisation in the same breath, Chandrashekhar said.

None should be under the illusion that the BJP is a political party, he said, and recalled the Janata Party days when RSS leaders had told him specifically that the BJP was merely a wing of the RSS. The BJP is not controlled by L K Advani or Vajpayee, but by the RSS, which was also reflected in the division in the partys ranks on the IRA bill.

Aware of his marginalisation in national politics, Chandrashekhar said: The people may not pay heed to me now. But how long can the present situation continue. The day will come when they will listen to me. The economic policies being followed now cannot fool the people for long, Chandrashekhar said.