Now, CPI to 'learn from China'

The Communist Party of India has finally taken the oft-repeated advice of the UPA government to "learn from China".

The Left party has decided to send three party delegations to the neighbouring country to learn about agriculture practices, the concept of Special Economic Zones, and about financial and banking structures.

This came out in a meeting of CPI General Secretary AB Bardhan and a visiting Chinese delegation led by Feng Li, Deputy Director General of Policy Research Centre (Vice-Ministerial rank). The five-member delegation of the Chinese Communist Party is here on the CPI's invitation.

At today's meeting, Bardhan informed the Chinese delegation that the Indian government has often been asking the Left parties to learn from China, even though the circumstances in two countries are different.

Nevertheless, the CPI general secretary proposed to send a delegation of party leaders to study the methods to increase agricultural productivity, another delegation to see the pattern as also the impact of SEZs in China, and a third delegation to study the banking and financial structures, especially in the context of the UPA government's move to introduce fuller capital account convertibility.

The study reports of these delegations will equip the Left parties better to deal with the UPA regime, especially when the latter comes up with Chinese mirrors, said CPI leaders.

While CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury who, on his return from a 10-day visit to China last month, was all praise for the Chinese model of economy, Bardhan was forthright about the CPI's assessment of China. The CPI general secretary pointed out regional as well as urban-rural disparities in China.

To this, Feng Li replied that the Chinese government was conscious of these problems and therefore, the latest slogan in the country was "harmonious" socialism, which was aimed at eradicating these disparities.

To a question from Bardhan whether China was also witnessing the incidence of suicides by farmers, the Chinese delegation conceded that there were some cases but the numbers were much less.