Janardan Dwivedi lambasts the PPP route adopted during UPA rule

'PPP is nothing short of privatization. We have done everything to damage public sector enterprises'

While the Congress is still trying to emerge out of its calamitous electoral defeats, voices from within the party itself are questioning the party's economic policies.

Senior Congress leader Janardan Dwivedi, the party’s organisational incharge, has lambasted the PPP (Public Private Partnership) model, which was espoused in a big way during the Congress-led UPA rule.

“PPP is nothing short of privatisation. We have done everything to damage public sector enterprises like it has been done with Indian Airlines,” said Dwivedi.

In fact, Dwivedi also attacked another UPA regime progeny, CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), stating that the 2% that companies had to mandatorily spend on social activities was a mere eyewash.  

Dwivedi’s views can be read as a questioning of the Congress’ ideological stand on economic issues. It was the Manmohan Singh led UPA government that had favoured the PPP route for not just infrastructural projects but for education and the health sector as well. And it was the amendment of the Companies law during UPA rule that brought in the concept of CSR.  

The Congress senior leader said that he had always been opposed to PPP and it ran contrary to the economic model that had been espoused by the likes of Jawaharlal Nehru.  

He recalled that it was the Congress in 2003 which had attacked the then NDA for its Disinvestment policy and thereafter “Instead of changing course we followed a similar route by adopting the PPP mode,” said Dwivedi. 

According to the senior leader there “has to be a balance between the public sector and the private sector” and “there is no place for PPP in the economy because it is privatization by another name.” 

The Congress which at the moment is working on attacking the BJP government on the Land Bill ordinance, now has Janardan Dwivedi who is opposed to the PPP clause in the land bill itself.   

Infact, Dwivedi whose views in the past as that on reservation has been contrary to the party line and raked up a controversy, seemed unperturbed yet again. He added that the new BJP led government had gone a step further than then Congress and was courting PPP more aggressively. 

It may be recalled that the Manmohan Singh led government and the Montek Singh Ahluwalia led Planning Commission’s espousal of the PPP route, had made several  veterans within the party uncomfortable with this wooing of the private sector.