By B.C. Dutta
The economic policies followed by the BJP did not widely differ from those followed by the Congress. If the minority government of the Congress and its allies seeks to follow the path of developing the country to make India a developed nation by 2020, as envisaged by the BJP-led NDA government and continue with the economic reforms as earlier initiated by the Congress and subsequently followed by the BJP, there is the least likelihood of the BJP and its allies toppling the government of the Congress. In such a situation, if the Congress-led minority govern-ment runs on the desired lines, it may carry on the job boldly, ignoring the threat if any from other parties including the Marxists, who are not numeri-cally strong enough to topple the government.
However, instead of running the Congress-led minority government on its own, the Congress'sdecision to run the government with the support of the Marxists has grave implications affecting national interests, as the Congress commitment to provide a strong and stable government dedicated to promote inter alia growth and investment will hardly be acceptable to the Marxists, who have reservations on economic liberalisation and disinvestment of public sector undertakings.
The Marxists would object to the Central Government accepting directions of the IMF and World Bank, though such directions are in confirmation with the economic measures required to uplift the economy of the underdeveloped and developing nations. However, the Marxists are now dictating terms to the Congress-led government by supporting it from outside.
Congress'sdecision to run the government with the support of the Marxists has grave implications affecting national interests, as the Congress commitment to provide a strong and stable government dedicated to promote inter alia growth and investment will hardly be acceptable to the Marxists.
Their dictates on economic matters centre around their party interests, ignoring the national interests. The Marxists also want to reorient India'sforeign policy, particularly with regard to the US and Israel. They do not want India to have good relations with Israel, except for maintaining formal diplomatic relations, perhaps with an eye on the Muslim vote bank.
It goes without saying that the US is the only super power in the world and India needs to have better relations with that country to further its own economic interests.
A country needs to be economically strong to have its voice heard in international forums. The Congress government at the Centre wants to rely on the Marxists for its stability. The Marxists have been running the state government in West Bengal for a period of over 27 years, but West Bengal, which was once one of the premier states of India, has now become one of the backward states of the country.
The communist ideology may be philosophically sound, but its economic application is not conducive to productivity. The Congress government at the Centre, banking on Marxists for its stability, is likely to make India another West Bengal of Marxist rule.
By supporting the govern-ment from outside without joining it will enable the Marxists to enjoy the advantages and benefits accruing from their association with a ?friendly government?, without being accountable for any wrong committed by the government. If stability and development of the country is the aim of the Congress government, then its association with the Marxists under the latter'sterms and conditions does not augur well for the nation.
