Cpm Unhappy With Gupta, Chaturanans Performance
THE CPI(M) has expressed its displeasure with the functioning of the two CPI ministers in the Union cabinet, home minister Indrajit Gupta and agriculture minister Chaturanan Mishra. The party has said their performance vindicates the CPI(M)s decision not to join the government.
The CPI(M) is particularly peeved with the way the cabinet has cleared many anti-people proposals despite the presence of two communist ministers.
CPI leaders explain that their ministers put up a brave fight in all the cabinet meetings. However, both the present and former Prime Ministers, I K Gujral and HD Deve Gowda, have informed members of the United Front steering committee on several occasions that all cabinet decisions have been unanimous, a CPI(M) politburo member told Business Standard yesterday.
While Gupta is perceived to be inactive and having failed to come up to expectations, Mishra has not made any remarkable contribution while in office, he said.
During Mishras tenure there has been a decline in foodgrain production. There was a decline of two per cent last year and figures for this year are not available. This is despite having ten consecutive good monsoons, the CPI(M) leader said.
However, CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury refused to comment on the functioning of the two ministers, but said: We will like them to fight for the implementation of the United Fronts common minimum programme.
The CPI(M)s criticism amounts to more pressure on them to perform or quit their jobs. With 33 MPs, we were of the view that we would not be able to influence the governments decisions, and decided not to join the government. How can the CPI with a dozen MPs expect to do so, the politburo member said.
CPI leaders too are unhappy with Mishras recent statements. The partys national executive is scheduled to meet on October 22-23 and is likely to ask him to clarify his position.
During TV interviews and press meets, Mishra has said that some of the Congress criticism on the functioning of the United Front government were valid and that the coalition leaders needed to do some introspection.
Left leaders, including those from the CPI, immediately dissociated themselves from Mishras views and said that he was not echoing the Lefts views.
Meanwhile, the CPI(M) politburo meeting, which concluded on Wednesday, discussed the current political situation and noted that the United Front would not emerge as a cohesive political force if the CMP was not properly implemented.
It criticised some of the governments economic policies asked the government to fulfil the promises made in the CMP. It also discussed the outline of the draft political resolution to be tabled before the party congress scheduled for next February.