Forget us, people will pull you down: Left to UPA

After trying to scuttle economic growth–and to an extent succeeding–the paranoid Left, I reckon, has come to terms with the bitter truth: the Congress is in no mood to pander to its fossilized whims. At the moment, the Left seems content in writing angry articles in its inhouse magazine.

Anxious that its voice is making no impact on the “masses” it wishes to uplift, it has taken the game to the citizens’ door:

Asserting that the Left would not destabilise the ruling UPA coalition, CPI on Monday warned that the people would not support it if the government did not change its policy direction to resolve their problems. “We will not pull you down, but if you persist with the same anti-people policies and not the Common Minimum Programme (CMP), the people will not forgive you,” party general secretary A B Bardhan said in his address at a function to mark the 80th foundation of day of the CPI.

So there it is, the acceptance of defeat: a few months ago, the Left described itself as a dog that bites but I presume someone pulled its teeth out ever since. That’s a pity, I’d have loved to see the Great Canine-Biting Spectacle. The Left is therefore exercising the remaining option: Barking.

People will not forgive you? That’s rich. The CMP (sic) is just another documentary evidence to prove how out of touch–not to mention hypocritical–the Left is with the aspirations of the said people. The “poverty eradication” theme has floated for decades so much that it now sounds like a term of abuse. Lalu’s thrashing in Bihar is harsh reality that the entire political class needs to wake up to: the aam aadmi no longer falls for slogans.

…“we are supporting this government. But where is it headed to? what is its policy direction? Is FDI in retail more important than resolving unemployment? no one is bothering to ask how the implementation of the newly-enacted employment guarantee scheme is progressing. Is there any thrust being given to resolve problems like poverty alleviation or hunger,” Bardhan asked.

If irresponsibility is defined as support, dictatorship can be defined as liberty. The Left only dictates policy. No issues with that. However, its record over one plus years doesn’t show a single coherent policy, a single idea that makes sense. For example, it opposes FDI in retail trade on flimsy grounds:

Traditional forms of low-cost retail trade, from the owner operated local shops and general stores to the handcart and pavement vendors together form the bulk of this sector. Since the organized sector accounts for less than 8% of the total workforce in India and millions are forced to seek their livelihood in the informal sector, retail trade being an easy business to enter with low capital and infrastructure needs, acts as a kind of social security net for the unemployed.

The Left’s example of handcart and pavement vendors actually makes the case for allowing FDI in the retail sector. I don’t believe in elaborate, and abstract theorizing. Practical, everyday examples and experiences are more telling indicators. In the locality I live, I see a huge array of handcart and pavement vendors who eke out a pathetic living. A common refrain of flower vendors is related to covering their cost. They need to spend about 15 rupees (bus fare) travelling to City Market to buy fresh flowers. To ensure that the flowers are relatively fresh, they leave as early as 4:30 AM, finish shopping and then return at around 6:30-7:00. And they’re not alone. Their competitors travel in the same bus. Business is brisk in the 7–9 AM timeframe. And then people leave for work. So they sit idle till evening by which time flowers lose freshness. Eveningtime is also good for business but they have to sell cheap. And then there are additional costs: paying the corporator for occupying the pavement, bribing the cops, goondas, and other agencies. It is anybody’s guess what the flowerseller takes home after all this. Several of these people also moonlight–mostly during afternoon–engaged in such tasks as cleaning peoples’ toilets, fixing open drainages, etc. This applies in varying degrees to other, similar businesses.

On the other hand, there’s this former roadside vegetable vendor who now works in a newly-opened supermarket as a sales person. The store pays him about two thousand rupees a month all of which he gets to keep. And there are no “additional” costs. And he didn’t have to depend on any employment guarantee scheme to bag that job.

If anything, FDI in the retail sector helps create new jobs. In fact, as the Left’s own document (PDF I linked to above) says, the retail sector has grown exponentially over the last 5 or so years. That’s created a whole new market and education opportunities–we have institutes that offer various programs on the subject of Retail Marketing.

But the Left Ostrich wants none of that. It hankers after the same outmoded slogans in the hope of further exploiting people in the name of exploitation. Wonder how long it’ll take for us to show them their rightful place: the dustbin of history.