CMP spells out POTA repeal

COMMON MINIMUM PROGRAMME/ Left does not sign agenda, keeps agitation option open

In an attempt to regain its original political constituency of the poor, women, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government donned a persona that is vaguely social-democratic.

While upholding civil rights and democratic values by announcing that it would repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), the UPA said it would push through the 33 per cent reservation of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and the Assemblies and initiate a national debate on job reservation for SCs and STs in the private sector.

The Common Minimum Programme (CMP) said after consultations with states, the "UPA government will consider crediting elected panchayats with funds directly" as the Left parties were opposed to the bypassing of state governments in giving funds to panchayats.

This is one area where there could be a clash between the Left and the Congress.

Representatives of the Left parties were present at the release of the CMP although they did not sign it, indicating that it was the agenda of the government, not the Left parties.

This move won them the small space for manoeuverability in their current role as the main prop of the Congress-led coalition.

Left leaders indicated that they would not be constrained by the CMP if they found policies of the government were "right reactionary" and required an agitation to overturn them. UPA partners have agreed to meet once a month for consultations.

Releasing the document, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi said: "The document prepared in consultation with all pre-poll allies and others supporting the coalition reflects the mandate of the people, which was the mandate for a strong secular government, which will work and care for all sections, especially women, youth and the weaker and the poorer sections."

Among the social categories that the CMP tries to win over, the woman voter is the most significant. "The CMP seeks to empower women politically, educationally, economically and legally," said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The CMP is a combination of the ambitious Mahila Sashaktikaran Abhiyan launched by the Congress as a political movement to mobilise women as a voter category, and the Left's commitment to the education of women. Legislation against domestic violence and gender discrimination was on the anvil, the CMP said.

A third of all panchayati raj funds would be channelised for schemes for women and children and legislation that gives women equal rights of ownership in assets like land would also be promulgated, it said.

Minorities, SCs, STs, and other weaker sections are going to be an important focus of the government. The CMP indicated that the Centre might go beyond the 15-point charter for minorities that the Congress state governments were currently following, including improving the access of minorities to education.

The CMP announced that the new government would codify all reservations by bringing in a Reservations Act. This means that unless a particular caste or income group is part of the law, it will not be entitled to reservations.