Manmohan Singh has been taking bold steps for years in the central planning and growth of India. Mulayam Singh Yadav had taken such bold steps for the development of Uttar Pradesh. And now Mayawati has been taking bold steps in scraping the policies of such development and growth that were primarily based on multilevel injustice and exploitation. However, the moot question is, can she succeed in changing the system or would ultimately surrender to the vicious circle.
Let us try to understand this phenomenon with examples and in concrete terms. Our country has been following a special policy of development and growth for the last one and half decades or so. It is popularly knows as new economic policy being started and now being implemented by our Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Under his policies, growth and development is planned primarily on the principles of injustice and exploitation. Bigger the people bigger would they become, smaller the people smaller they would be. It is such a system.
It is in this system, our country adopted a policy of development and growth. The establishment and the Super rich tried to curtail every facility given to lesser beings, such as small industrialist or farmers, to bring them at the minimum level. All the subsidies and incentives to smaller ones were tried to be withdrawn. The cost of goods and services were effected to become costlier for the smaller and cheaper for bigger people.
On the other hand, big business and industrial houses were given huge incentives, subsidies and profits at the cost of smaller ones.
In pursuance of this policy, business and industrial houses making an investment of Rs. 100 crore or more in Uttar Pradesh were made entitled for incentives from the State Government, during Mulayam Singh Yadav's regime. The policy, according to Mulayam Singh's government had been framed in the light of the special industrial and financial package granted by the Central Government to the neighbouring hill state of Uttarakhand. The previous regime had even claimed that it was of the view that the Central package had led to a flight of industries from UP to Uttarakhand. However, it is a common knowledge that all the benefits were given to Mulayam's big industrialist friends.
Let us look at the incentives which were to be given for investment over Rs 100 crore in any part of UP. It consisted of five per cent subsidy, interest free loans and transport subsidy.
It was clearly injustice to other lesser beings having less than 100 crore to invest. If five percent subsidy in addition to transport subsidy was to be given to the Super Rich, why should such a facility not be given to poorer classes of industrialists or actual poor persons like poor farmers? Why should the super rich class be given interest free loans while other lesser beings be given loans at exorbitant interest rates? Is it not true that such exorbitant interest rates compelled our poorer brothers to commit even suicides? What example then we need to prove that our planning at the central and state levels are based on multilevel injustice and exploitation and which is in favour of Super Rich class?
This decision to scrape such an unjust policy by Uttar Pradesh Cabinet under the leadership of the Chief Minister, Mayawati, is welcome. However, the question is whether this decision has sprung up from the realization of the evils of unjust and exploitative system of planning or simply a political vengeance.
If it is merely a political revenge by Mayawati, who has vowed to finish the political career of her adversary Mulayam Singh, then we should wait for more miseries for Uttar Pradesh. The Super rich would avoid investing in the state and it may suffer in future due to lack of big investment.
And if, Mayawati would show more political wisdom and encourage smaller investments in the state, it would prosper. The miserable situation of Uttar Pradesh would change due to smaller industrial units having more employment potential compared to big industrial units.
Mayawati has been showing her intentions that she wants to follow the politics of development without any bias for caste, creed or religion. She will have to show another guts not to victimise big investers or antagonize them. For the moment, she is fair enough not to allow special incentives based on favouritism. Policies should be equitable to all. She should also be wise enough not to fall in the trap of vicious game of Super Rich as well as the infamous nexus of the politicians, bureaucrats and criminals.#