Joins main Oppn BJP and CPI in criticising govt.
Key United Progressive Alliance (UPA) member Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) today joined main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Communist Party of India (CPI) in the Rajya Sabha in slamming the government on its disinvestment policy and opposed the Centre’s plans to divest stakes in various public sector undertakings (PSUs).
As the House resumed discussion on the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address to Parliament last week, Kanimozhi (DMK) opposed disinvestment of PSUs.
She said it should not be allowed, since India follows socialism. Criticising the government’s plans to disinvest various PSUs while keeping 51 per cent stake in them with it, Arun Shourie (BJP) said this was “the worst form of disinvestment”.
“This will promote fiscal mismanagement,” he said. Speaking in a similar vein, D Raja (CPI) said the UPA government was going all out for privatisation of PSUs and termed its disinvestment policy as “deceptive”.
Shourie also accused the Centre of depending too much on the US while dealing with Pakistan in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks.
The situation now is “far more complex” requiring greater efforts on part of the government to deal with terror, he said, adding “don’t run to Mummy (the US) all the time.”
Shourie said the country needed to understand the objectives of US in the region and its compulsions.
He also said Pakistan was yet to dismantle its terror infrastructure in its Punjab region and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
Shourie lamented that a lot of time had been taken in developing the defence system in the country and many projects had been delayed.
Besides, there was a shortage of around 5,000 officials in the armed forces. He alleged that institutions like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) were misused by the government to settle political scores.
Stressing that the Left parties would work as constructive opposition, D Raja of CPI said the government should seriously consider the issue of state funding of elections to prevent use of muscle and money power in polls.
Jayanthi Natarajan (Cong) demanded that Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa should fulfil his promise of devolution of power to minority Tamils and end their “discrimination” to bring lasting peace in the island.
It was absolutely vital for Sri Lanka to ensure immediate relief to Tamils displaced owing to the war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) so that they can return to their homes, she said, adding that 20,000 innocent Tamil civilians were killed.
She also expressed concern over racist attacks on Indian students in Australia. During the course of the debate, Tamil Nadu politics took the centrestage at one time as members from DMK clashed with those from All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) over insinuations against certain central ministers from the state.
AIADMK and CPI members also raised the issue of Kachchativu island and demanded its retrieval from Sri Lanka to solve the problems being faced by Tamil Nadu fishermen.
