Union agriculture minister Chaturanan Mishras unprecedented step of calling a press conference yesterday to distance himself from a Cabinet decision gave the Left parties angst about the United Fronts (UF) economic policies a higher profile than it has yet had.
Mishras points were about easing restrictions on the import of consumer goods, including agriculture items, but he and other Communist Party of India (CPI) ministers have been under pressure from their party and its Left allies to take strong stands on a range of issues to alter the perception that the Left parties have compromised their stated economic policies.
Over the months, CPI ministers Indrajit Gupta and Mishra have chosen to absent themselves from Cabinet meetings at which important economic decisions were to be taken. Their colleagues are not satisfied with such stratagems now and insist on blunt stands.
A senior CPI leader explained Mishras move yesterday by saying that, if the Congress succeeded in bringing down the H D Deve Gowda government, they would be left without a fig leaf on the opposition benches when they were questioned about the rising prices and other negative economic indicators.
The Left ministers have in particular opposed moves to privatise the insurance sector, to disinvest PSU shares, and to usher in a liberalised foreign direct investment regime. They failed on the last and now appear to some of their colleagues to be fighting a losing battle on the other issues.
While a decision to privatise the insurance sector has not been taken so far, the issue of disinvestment has been referred to the Disinvestment Commission and the Cabinet has already cleared proposals for automatic clearance to foreign investment in many more industries with 74 per cent equity participation.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) decided last week that import restrictions should be lifted in a phased manner. However, following opposition from Mishra, a decision on agriculture items was put off and the minister was asked to give his views. Mishra then called a press conference to share his views with the world at large.
Some officials speculated that Mishras public statement could have been meant as a strategy to give talking points to the negotiating team at the World Trade Organisation meeting at Geneva.
However, given the increasing unease among the Left parties, Mishras move was certainly at least partly inspired by a desire to distance himself politically from the thrust of the majority in the Cabinet.
