BRPSE to be abolished to make way for disinvesting sick PSUs-Modi Government’s plan

BRPSE (Board for Reconstruction of Public Sector Enterprises) is the body meant for advising the Government on reviving the sick PSUs. Modi Government is now planning to abolish it and establish a new body in its place. This is what the Minister for Heavy Industries Sri Anant Gite has told on 7.4.2015. What for? As per the news paper reports, the move is meant for clearing the way for the Government to pursue option of disinvesting most of the 65 sick PSUs. Thus instead of exploring the possibilities of reviving sick industries, the Government will try to disinvest them. Modi Government is so anxious to get rid of the PSUs somehow!

Communications Minister Mr.Ravishankar Prasad, it is not enough to blame Manmohan Singh Government for the BSNL’s losses, your Government has to prove its sincerity by taking suitable measures for saving BSNL

On 2.4.2015, in an interview given to PTI, the Communications Minister Shri Ravishankar Prasad has stated,” This issue has always baffled me. BSNSL was in Rs 10000 crore profit when Mr (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee left the office. It reported about Rs 9000 crore loss under Dr Manmohan Singh. Which were the forces that were keen to ensure that BSNL runs in loss, same with MTNL”. He is questioning as if he does not know the causes for the losses to BSNL.  This is nothing but pretending innocence. In fact, is it not the Government of Sri Atal Bihari Vajpayee which laid the foundation for the losses to BSNL?

When BSNL was being formed in the year 2000, several intellectuals as well as telecom unions told that the formation of BSNL would lead to losses to it. But ignoring all this, the Vajpayee Government converted telecom services under DoT into BSNL on 1.10.2000. At the time of formation of BSNL, it was assured to compensate BSNL for the losses faced by it on rural land line losses. The Prime Minister Mr. Vajpayee had constituted a GoM (Group of Ministers) and the GoM has assured the following:

“Financial viability: (i) Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd would be duly compensated for discharging obligations in regard to rural telephony or any other uneconomic service in accordance with any Government directive for implementation of NTP-99. (ii) GoM has further assured that under no circumstances Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd would be allowed to become non-viable as this would be a potential instrument in the hands of the Government for achieving its NTP-99 objectives”

The above assurance was mentioned in the Cabinet Note submitted by the GoM on 25.9.2000 for the approval of the Cabinet. But within two days, this assurance was diluted and the Cabinet approved the following: “Government will consider and provide a package of measures so that the viability of BSNL is not impaired because of implementation of any socially desirable uneconomic activity, such as rural telephony, undertaken by BSNL at the behest of Government.”

It is to be noted that while the Cabinet note prepared by the GoM assured to compensate the loss of BSNL on rural landlines without mentioning any ceiling on how long such compensation would be paid, the Cabinet approval is only for a limited package applicable for a limited period for compensating BSNL’s losses on rural landlines. Accordingly the Vajpayee Government at first approved for reimbursement of license fee and spectrum charges to BSNL only until 2002-03. It later extended it for one more year till 2003-04. It limited the moratorium on payment of principal and interest on loan taken by BSNL at the time of its formation ( it was only a notional loan written in the books of BSNL without actually paying to it) until March 2005 only. The UPA Government extended the reimbursement of license fee and spectrum charge to BSNL for one more year, till 2005-06, of course, with a reduced rate. Thus it is the Vajpayee Government which laid the foundation for the losses to BSNL by limiting the assurance of compensation to BSNL for its losses on land lines to a package applicable for a few years.

BSNL’s losses on its rural landlines, on an average, were Rs 8000 crore per year since 2001-02to 2013-14.At this rate, The total loss for this period was estimated to be around Rs 1,04,000 crores.  But the compensation paid to BSNL under various heads for the losses incurred by it on rural landlines was Rs 41370 crores only. It is only 40% of its loss. While thus refusing the full compensation justified for BSNL, the Vajpayee Government had showered unjustifiable benefits on the private telecom operators. It extended their license period from 10 years to 20 years and allowed them to pay their license fee as a small share of their revenue annually, instead of paying at one go their total license fee, as per the tender condition. The value of these unfair concessions given to private operators was Rs 43000 crore, as per the reply given by the UPA Government in the Parliament. Therefore the policy of the Vajpayee Government for limiting the compensation to BSNL for its continuous losses on its landlines to a package applicable for a limited period is the cause for creating losses to BSNL subsequently.

The Manmohan Singh Government had continued the same policy of Vajpayee and restricted the compensation to BSNL until 2006-07 only and thereafter, stopped it.  Besides, during the tenure of the Manmohan Singh Government, no GSM equipment could be procured by BSNL during the period 2008 to 20132 due to the ill motivated cancellation of the equipment tenders and as a result, BSNL suffered in mobile services market. The Manmohan Singh Government has collected Rs 18500 crore from BSNL in 2010 in the name of 3G and BWA spectrum in an unjustified manner and depleted its cash reserves. Thus, the losses to BSNL are due to the anti BSNL policies of Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh Governments. Therefore it is a bluff on the part of the present Communications Minister Ravishankar Prasad to absove Vajpayee Government from the sin of making BSNL a loss making undertaking.  

Modi Government, in which Mr.Ravishankar Prasad is the Communications Minister, has been intensifying the very same liberalization-privatization-globalization policies of Mr. Manmohan Singh’s Government. Modi Government is devotedly immersed in serving the Corporates and the rich and for this purpose attacking the PSUs, the people’s welfare and the working class rights more and more.

If Mr. Ravishankar Prasad is really serious for reviving BSNL, he should clarify the stand of the Modi Government in which he is a minister, on the following issues:

1. The Manmohan Singh Government decided in February 2012 for refunding Rs 6724 crores to BSNL for the BWA spectrum returned by it in 6 circles. But Modi Government, instead of refunding the entire amount in one go immediately, has allotted Rs 100 crores in the budget of 2014-15 and Rs 830 crore in the budget of 2015-16. Why the amount is not being paid entirely and why it is allotting such small amounts in the budget thus proposing to take at least one decade for its refund? What you, as a Communications Minister, have done for seeing that this refund of the entire amount of Rs 6724 crore is paid to BSNL immediately?
2. As per the recommendations of the TRAI, Rs 1250 crore are to be paid to BSNL from the USO fund to support it for the losses it incurred on its rural landlines during the year 2012-13. Why your Governemnt is not paying this due amount to BSNL?
3. Why your Government is not coming forward to see that BSNL gets the required loan with nominal interest for investing in the expansion of its net work? Why the Government is reluctant to give guarantee to the bank for this loan to BSNL? When your Government is showering concessions upon concessions to the Corporates and the rich and issuing ordinances upon ordinances to take away land from the farmers without their consent, for the benefit of the Corporates, is not coming forward to stand as a surety for the BSNL to get a soft loan?

Therefore the foundation for the losses to BSNL was laid down by the policies of the Vajpayee Government and those policies were further implemented by Manmohan Singh Government resulting in losses to BSNL. If the Minister Mr.Ravishankar Prasad thinks that his Government is different from that of Manmohan Singh’s Government, it should pay the above said amounts of Rs 6724 crores and Rs 1250 crores to BSNL and should see that BSNL gets the soft loan required for expanding and upgrading its network. 

Non-Payment of salaries to the employees of ITI- Make the strike on 21st and 22nd April a grand success to avert similar fate for BSNL employees

In a reply given to a question in Rajyasabha on 20.3.2015, the Minister of Communications & IT Sri Ravisankar Prasad informed the following:

“Due to continuous losses for the past twelve years, ITI is not in a position to generate its own resources for timely payment of salaries to its employees and is dependent on Government support for the same. On 3^rd March 2015 M/s ITI Limited has made payment of salaries which has become due for more than three months. However, payment of salaries for the months of January& February 2015 is still pending. The Government is aware of the problems faced by the employees of M/s ITI Limited due to nonpayment of salaries and is taking all possible steps to address the situation. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved a revival package for M/s ITI Limited, which comprises of extending financial assistance of Rs 612 crore to meet the establishment cost during implementation of  revival plan.  During 2014 a soft loan was provided to M/s ITI Limited for making payment of salaries. In February 2015, an additional soft loan of Rs 100 crore has been released to ITI Limited for making payment of salaries to its employees. In addition to these, an amount of Rs 165 crore, which is also a part of the revival plan approved by CCEA, relating to 39 months’ arrears due to 1997 pay revision has also been released to ITI Limited to enable it to pay the amount to its employees. Further, in the union Budget 2015-16, a provision of Rs 150 crore has been made by the Government as support to M/s ITI Limited for payment of salary.”

This is the fate of ITI which has been in losses continuously since 2002-03. Its employees are not getting salaries for months together and getting only after it gets financial help from the Government. Even to pay the wage arrears of 1997 pay revision to its employees, the Government has to allot Rs 165 crore, in the budget 2015-16! They did not get pay revision on 1.1.2007 due to its continuous losses and becoming sick industry by 2004.

ITI Limited has become sick due to the wrong policies of the Government. The liberalization-globalization-privatization policies adopted by the successive Governments at the centre have discouraged indigenous production of telecom equipment and made the country dependent on procuring equipment from foreign countries. Every year, around Rs 50000 crores are paid for importing telecom equipment. ITI was not encouraged to upgrade its technical knowhow to produce advanced technology equipment. Instead, the private telecom operators are allowed to import the equipment from foreign countries. Thus the very policy of the Government is responsible for this fate of ITI.

The wrong policies of the Government in the name of liberalization-privatization-globalization are the reason for the losses to BSNL and MTNL. Government encouraged the private operators and discouraged these PSUs in several ways. As a result, MTNL and BSNL have been in continuous losses since 2009-10 onwards.

On March 10,2015, the Heavy Industries Minister Sri Anant Gite informed the Loksabha that MTNL was declared as a sick industry. As per the rules, a PSU will be declared sick, if its accumulated losses are 50% or more of its average net worth during the four preceding years. The losses of MTNL have equaled or exceeded 50% of its average net worth and hence it was declared as a sick industry.

What about BSNL? Its total losses during the years 2009-10 to 2013-14 are Rs 31961.81 crore. Its average net worth for the 4 years 2009-10 to 2012-13 was Rs 75338.79. 50% of it was Rs 37669.39 crore. Thus if in this year 2014-15 the loss is Rs 6000 crore, the total loss will exceed 50% of its previous 4 year average net worth and it will be declared a sick industry. The loss in the first half of the current financial year 2014-15 (i.e from April to September 2014) is already Rs 3785 crore. Therefore BSNL is on the verge of being declared sick, may be in the year 2016, unless Government and management take necessary steps as demanded by the Forum of BSNL Unions and Associations, for its revival. Otherwise, the fate of BSNL employees is going to be similar to that of ITI employees.

To bring pressure on the Government and management for the revival of BSNL,  it is necessary for all BSNL employees, both non-executive and executive, to participate without any exception, in the two day strike on April 21 and 22, as per the call given by the Forum of BSNL Unions and Associations. The strike will help in focusing before the people the necessity for reviving BSNL.

BSNL mobile market share declining - but increase in AP, Kerala, Haryana circles

MoC Sri Ravisankar Prasad informed Rajyasabha on 13.3.2015 that BSNL's mobile services market share declined overall from 10.72% in March 2012 to 8.62% in March 2014. But it's market share increased in AP-Telangana circle from 13.5 to 14.08%, in Haryana circle from 13.29 to 14.11% and in Kerala circle from 20.91 to 21.67% during this period. The reasons given by him are heavy competition, aggressive marketing by private operators and inadequate investment in expansion/ modernisation of its network over the period 2008-12 leading to network coverage issues. He further told that now phase-VII expansion of BSNL's mobile network is taking place at a cost of Rs 4804.77 crores adding 14421 2G sites and 10605 2G sites across the country. 

Thus the poor performance is not due to the employees, but due to the failure of the Government and management in procuring the required equipment for expanding mobile network.

That is why the Forum of BSNL Unions/Associations is demanding immediate procurement of equipment required for expanding/ modernising mobile network and for providing the required capital as loan with nominal interest. 

Private operators conspiring to take away the NOFN work from BSNL, Power Grid Corporation and Railtel-Modi Government bending to oblige them

National Optic Fiber Network (NOFN) is to be installed by the Government Company BBNL (Bharat Broadband Network Limited). BBNL was established on 25.2.2012 with 99.99% owned by Government of India and the remaining 0.01% held by the PSUs BSNL, PGCIL (Power Grid Corporation of India Limited) and Rail Tel (Rail Tel Corporation of India owned by Railway Department). It is established for extending the optic fiber cable from block level to all the 2, 50, 000 village Panchayats. The target fixed is to provide OFC for 50,000 village Panchayats by March 2015, and 1, 00,000 by March 2016 and remaining 1, 00,000 by December 2016.

The work of laying the OFC from block level to village Panchayats was given on contract by BBNL to the 3 PSUs BSNL, PGCIL and Rail Tel. 70% of this work is handed over to BSNL. The cost of this project is estimated as Rs 30,000 crores and the funds will be provided from USO Fund (Universal Services obligation Fund). In AP Circle, the work is given to PGCIL.

The aim of providing optic fiber cable to all village Panchayats is to provide high speed broadband services to villages so that the villagers can get all their required certificates/documents from the internet without going to Government offices and also to have online education, health, marketing and other facilities. BBNL will provide the bandwidth on non-discrimination basis to any operator, for providing broadband connections and serving the villagers.

After Modi becoming PM, the private operators like Vodafone, Aircel etc started pressurizing the Government to handover a part of the NOFN work to them, in the name of quick implementation of the project. Modi Government has appointed  an expert panel to recommend fast tracking the NOFN project by roping in private operators. The panel is likely to submit its report in March 2015.

Thus Modi Government is tilting towards handing over the OF cable laying work to private operators by taking away some work allotted to BSNL, Railtel and PGCIL. While the BSNL Unions Forum is demanding for merger of BBNL with BSNL, the Modi Government is doing the opposite and going forward to involve the private operators in laying the OF cable for BBNL.  This is how Modi Government is more pro-corporate and anti people than earlier UPA Government.

Modi Budget is against Workers, Employees, People, Public Sector, and weaker sections like SC, ST, Women and Children It is against BSNL, MTNL and ITI It is for the Indian and Foreign big capitalists and Rich persons

Modi Government’s Finance Minister Arun Jaitley presented the budget in the Parliament for the eyaqr 2015-16. It is totally against the workers, employees, people, public sector and weaker sections like SC/ST/Women/children etc. It has shown no sympathy at all for reviving the telecom PSUs BSNL, MTNL and ITI. It is totally in favor of the Indian and foreign big corporate and rich people and private sector.

Modi Government gave Rs 5,89,285.50 crores  unwarranted and unjustified concessions in the year 2014-15 to the Corporates and to the rich persons. This was higher than the fiscal deficit of Rs 5,55,649 in the budget of 2014-15. Therefore if these concessions were not given to the Corporates and to the rich, there would not have been any deficit in the budget of 2014-15. Now, in the present budget of the year 2015-16 also the Corporates and the rich are given more than Rs 5 lakh crores unjustified concessions . In addition, the rich were given a concession of Rs 8315 crores in direct taxes.  Wealth tax is totally abolished. Corporate tax is proposed to be reduced from the present 30% to 25% in 4 years. Several concessions are showered on FDI and FIIs. Exemption is given from Capital Gains Tax.(Tax on profits gained in selling shares in the companies).

These unjustified concessions to the corporates and the rich are leading to deficit in the budget and to reduce this deficit, the Modi Government proposed to receive revenue to the extent of Rs 70,000 crores by disinvesting Public Sector Undertakings, and to impose indirect taxes amounting Rs 23,383 crore on the commodities used by the people. To reduce the budget deficit further, it reduced Government expenditure, including subsidies to the people. In 2014-15 itself, Government expenditure was reduced by 7% in the allocated amount. This reduced amount was equal to Rs 1,14,000 crores. Whereas the amount allotted in the 2014-15 budget for Government expenditure was 10.8% of GDP(Gross Domestic Product), in this budget of 2015-16, it is reduced to 10.3% of GDP. The allotments to Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and food security remained stagnant in real terms. While the total subsidies in the budget of 2014-15 were Rs 2.60 lakh  crores (2.1% of GDP) , it is reduced to  Rs 2.44 lakh crores (1.7% of GDP) in 2015-16 budget. While in the budget 2014-15 an amount of Rs 35,163 crores was allotted for Health and Family Welfare, it is reduced to Rs 29,653 crores in this budget 2015-16. For housing and urban poverty eradication, an amount of Rs 6008 crores was allotted in the budget . It is reduced to Rs 5634 crores in this budget.

Modi budget is against weaker sections. The amount allotted for Tribal Sub-Plan is Rs 5000 crore less than last year’s allocation. The rule for allotting 8.2% of the budget for Tribal Sub-Plan is violated and only 5.5% is allotted. Similarly, the rule for allotting 17.5% of the budget expenditure for SC sub plan is violated and only 8.34% is allotted. This is Rs 12000 crore less than what should have been allotted. For the gender budget meant for empowering women, the allotment is reduced by 20% compared to 2014-15 budget allotment. This reduction amounts to Rs 20,000 crore. For ICDS(Integrated Child Development Scheme), in last year’s budget an amount of Rs 16000 crores was allotted. But it is reduced to Rs 8000 crores only in this budget.

Sevveral proposals in this budget are against the employees and workers. Large scale disinvestment of PSUs is proposed and collecting a huge amount of Rs 70,000 crore in the year 2015-16 is aimed at by dis-investing PSUs. Loss making PSUs are also proposed for disinvestment. The ports owned by the  Government are proposed to be Corporatized, as a first step towards their privatization. Thus a severe attack is planned on the PSUs. Income tax exemption limit is not increased, thereby disappointing the middle class employees. In the name of bad performance of EPF, the workers and employees covered by it are offered an option to opt for New Pension Scheme(NPS) instead of EPF. While it is difficult to divert EPF funds to invest in share markets, the New Pension Scheme allows diversion of pension contribution of employees  to the share markets and the employees will not get pension in case the pension fund company to which the employee contributed his pension contribution faces losses on its investments in the share market. Thus the aim is to divert the funds of the pension contribution of the employees to the gambling in the share markets. Similarly, it is proposed to allow option for Health Insurance instead of ESI, so that the funds contributed for health security can be diverted to share markets by the health insurance companies.

Modi Government has shown no interest at all in reviving the loss making telecom PSUs like BSNL, MTNL and ITI. We are demanding for immediate refund of the amount of Rs 6724 crores paid by BSNL for the surrendered BWA spectrum. Instead of doing this, the Government has allotted Rs 830 crores only in this 2015-16 budget(In 2014-15 budget it allotted Rs 100 crores only). For ITI which is declared as a sick industry in 2004 itself, the Government allotted an amount of Rs 150 crores as support for payment of salaries to its employees and allotted another amount of Rs 50 crores for its revival in this budget 2015-16 (In the budget 2014-15,Rs 165 crores was allotted for support to salaries expenditure and Rs 460 crores was allotted for revival. But this 460 crores was reduced to Rs 192 crores subsequently). It is to be noted that the UPA Government has approved on 12.2.2014, a revival package of Rs 4157 crores for reviving ITI. It has to be implemented in 18 months. But how it can be implemented in 18 months when the annual allocations in the budget are so small? This proves the lack of interest in Modi Government for reviving PSUs. At the same time it agreed to forgo thousands of crores of rupees capital gains tax from Corporates like Vodafone etc.

Modi budget is carrying forward the same anti people policies of the UPA Government, but with more speed and vigor. Its logic behind the showering of lakhs of crores of rupees concessions to Corporates is that with these concessions, the foreign and Indian big capitalists will be encouraged to invest in India for developing the economy. But what is the use of investments when people’s purchasing power is not growing? Who will purchase the increased production due to investments if the purchasing power of the people is not increasing? It is also not possible to depend on exporting the increased produce to other countries even if our people are not able to purchase it, since the world economy is facing stagnation and it will be so for some more years. The reduction in subsidies and welfare measures will further reduce the purchasing power of the people and the economy will face more stagnation and crisis. Therefore the policy of Modi Government to shower lakhs of crores of rupees concessions to corporates and to reduce Government expenditure on subsidies and welfare measures is counterproductive and will put the economy in more and more crisis. The correct policy is to abolish all the concessions being given in lakhs of crores of rupees to the Corporates and use that money for subsidies, welfare measures and for developing the infra structure. It will increase the purchasing power of the people and create jobs. But Modi will not do this since he has to repay his debt to the Corporates who helped him in his election campaign. Both BJP and the Congress and regional parties are parties of the Corporates and landlords. The trade unions, agriculture workers organizations, peasants organizations, women’s organizations, SC/ST/minorities organizations and Left and democratic forces have to fight a united and broad based struggle against these policies and for a pro-people economic policy.

Nehru and Patel: Inheritance Quarrel between Congress and BJP

An interesting debate has started in our country on the occasion of the 125^th birthday of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru on 14.11.2014. It appears that it will not stop in the near future. The debate is about who is great among the two important leaders of independence struggle, Jawarlal Nehru or Vallabh Bhai Patel? In fact, this debate is not a recent debate. The debate was started in the past by RSS and its political department BJP (earlier Janasangh). Their argument is that if Patel had been the Prime Minister instead of Jawaharlal Nehru, a part of the Kashmir would not have gone to Pakistan, India would not have been defeated by China and the country would have been entirely different. Those who are of this ideological view believe that Akhand Bharat, as conceived by RSS would have been possible if Patel had been the Prime Minister. Narendra Modi told the same in a recent meeting. The reason for their belief in Patel even though he was a Congress man is that he was inclined to Hindu communal ideology. He was close to RSS parivar and he was slightly anti Muslim. He expressed his communal ideology and anti Muslim feelings on several occasions.These are all on record. That is why RSS-BJP is trying to degrade Nehru and upgrade Patel. RSS parivar helped the British rulers during independence struggle. Hence they do not have independence struggle heritage. That is why  they are borrowing Patel who is close to them ideologically, among the Congress leadership.

RSS parivar always hated Nehru. It was because Nehru tried to build India on the foundation of secularism and democracy. He led the liberal group among the Indian bourgeoisie. He believed scientific thinking. He opposed communalism and religious bigotry. Internationally, he opposed fascism and welcomed socialism. In 1936 when the Popular Front in Spain has been waging a heroic struggle against fascists, Nehru went there and extended support to Popular Front. With this, he became popular as a great Statesman of the World. RSS does not like any of these great qualities. The Guru of RSS, Shri Golwalkar was a worshipper of Hitler. He welcomed fascism. He strongly opposed socialism. That is why RSS opposed Nehru then and is still opposing and will continue to oppose.

The RSS parivar gathered courage now since the BJP came to power having full majority on its own. Therefore it started to implement its agenda in full. It started its efforts to change the text books of Indian History, to fill the text books with Hindu Puranas, to stop the spread of modern thinking and spread the outdated ancient beliefs among the people in the name of science and in this process, it started to make recent history also upside down. As a part of this scheme, it started honouring Congress leader Patel with RSS shawl and making him a leader greater than Mahatma Gandhi and Pandit Nehru. It started building a 597 feet tall statue for Patel in Narmada river at Vaddodara at a cost of Rs 3000 crore. It allotted Rs 200 crores in this year’s budget for building the statue. It announced Patel’s birthday as National Unity Day.  It is not stopping with praising Patel. It decided to remove the names of Nehru and his heirs earlier given for some 650 schemes and projects.

Worried with this campaign of BJP-RSS, the Congress party started claiming it self as the sole inheritor of Nehru. It held Nehru birthday in a big way. They invited several leaders from the the country as well as from other countries. But they did not invite the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The reason they are telling is that Narendrra Modi is hard core opponent of Nehru and only the Congress aprty inherits the legacy of Nehru. Nehru is the first Prime Minister of this country. He ruled the country from 1947 to 1964. Inspite of this, the BJP Government has not cared much for observing 125^th birth day of Nehru. But the fact is that the Congress and the BJP who are claiming the inheritance of Nehru and patel respectively have left their inheritance in practice. Congress party lost its right to claim Nehru’s legacy the moment it started the neo-liberal economic policies in 1991. Now it has nothing with it to claim the legacy of Nehru. Nehru gave importance to Public Sector. Congress sold them in the open market. Nehru implemented policies strengthening self reliance. Congress party opened the doors to foreign capital and foreign goods. Nehru laid the foundation for non-alignment in foreign policy. Congress Party left non-alignment and made India as a junior partner of imperialists. Nehru stood for secularism and democracy. Congress vacillated on secularism and made several attacks on democracy. Tehrefore Congress has no real legacy of Nehru, except using his name to sell its bad fruits in the name of a good tree.

The BJP has been utilizing Patel’s name without implementing his ideals. Though Patel might be inclined to communal ideology, he fought strongly against imperialism. He was a disciple of Mahatma Gandhi. Patel expressed his serious anger against RSS on the occasion of killing Mahatma Gandhi. On 10^th July 1948, after the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi,  he wrote a letter to Jansangh leader Dr Shyam Prasad Mukherjee stating, “ As regards the RSS and the Hindu Mahasabha, the case relating to Gandhiji’s murder is sub-judice and I should not like to say any thing about the participation of the two organisationss, but our reports do confirm that as a result of the activities of these two bodies, particularly the former, an atmosphere was created in the country in which such a ghastly tragedy became possible. Therre is no doubt in my mind the extreme section of the Hindu Maahasaabha was involved in the conspiracy. The activities of the RSS constituted a clear threat to the existence of the Government and the State.”(Sardar Patel’s Correspondence, Volume 6, page 323, Navjeevan, 1973). Whereas in those days Patel fought against British rule in the country, now the BJP leaders are mortgaging the country to foreign capitalists. To get some favors from America, Japan etc., they are endangering the lives of crores of the people of our country (A clear example in this regard is that the Modi Government has lifted controls on 100 life saving drugs to satisfy Obama, before the visit of Modi to America. Due to this, the American companies will get more profit and the price of life saving drugs would be beyond the reach of common people).  Therefore it is not simply about the legacy of Nehru or Patel. The Congress and the BJP have no right at all to claim the legacy of innumerable martyrs who sacrificed their lives fighting for independence of the country.

The Corporate media organising this debate on the legacy of Nehru and Patel are hiding some naked facts. These facts are— the RSS and Hindu Mahasabha never participated in thee independence struggle. Savarkar, who fought, has come out of Jail by writing a surrender letter to the British rulers and there are several evidences to prove that the RSS parivar helped the British rulers. Media is escaping from debating these facts.

Therre is another fact to be noted. The corporate media is not telling any thing about the independence movement legacy of the communists. In fact, it was the communists who introduced radicalism in Congress after 1920. The Communists, who were in the Congress party at that time, have brought forward the slogan of “Complete Independence”. The Communists were instrumental in bringing the agenda of elimination of feudalism, elimination of caste oppression to bring social change, into the independence movement. The communists have organised peasant struggles in several places in the country against feudalism and thus brought forward the question of land reform  and elimination of rural povery, into the agenda of independence movement. By oraganizing trade unions and working class struggles, the Communists have brought forward the issues of the working class into the agenda of the independence movement. The Communists ahve built people’s cultural movement during the sstruggle against fascism. Therefore the Communists are the best inheritors of the legacy of the independence movement and they are still continuing to carry forward this glorious legacy of the independence movement. The RSS parivar that never participated in the independence movement and on the other hand collaborated with the British rulers and still continue to to hanker for the small mercies from the imperialists and the Congress which has mortgaged the legacy of independence movement can not claim the legacy of the independence movement. The quarrel between Congress and BJP over the legacy of Nehru and Patel is only for deceiving the people.

(This article was originally written in Telugu by S.Venkata Rao and published in the Telugu daily “Prajaasakti” on 15.11.2014. The English translation was done by P.Asokababu)