New Delhi

May 27, 2004

MDMK Vaiko angry over appointment of J. N. Dixit as National Security Advisor complains to the Prime Minister

Within a day of appointment of retired Foreign Secretary J N
Dixit as the National Security Advisor (NSA) to the Prime Minister, MDMK chief Vaiko has set off a campaign against him over the wrong choice made without examining his past antecedents.

Vaiko says he has conveyed his strong reservations and dismay over Dixit's selection to the top brass of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA), pointing out that Dixit's hands were soiled with blood of the innocent Tamils massacred in Sri Lanka.

The MDMK leader, who was behind the bars for over a year under POTA for his strong support to the struggling Tamils in Sri Lanka, said it was Dixit who had misled then Prime Minister late Rajiv Gandhi into sending the Indian troops (Indian peace-keeping forces -- IPKF) to Sri Lanka for
genocide of the Tamil activists.

Vaiko says he would always stand for the Tamils settled in Sri Lanka to be treated with dignity and honour and hence speak out against those who have been party to their suppression by the Sri Lankan Government.

It was Vaiko who had scuttled a Rs 200-crore economic package to Sri Lanka agreed upon by India during the NDA regime by explaining to then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee how the Sri Lankan government had been
misusing funds from all sources to suppress the Tamils settled there.

In the UPA's Common Minimum Programme (CMP), the paragraph committing the ruling alliance to help resolve the ethnic issue of the Sri Lankan Tamilians is Vaiko's contribution. He says he got all alliance partners agree at Wednesday's meeting to incorporate the stress on India play an active role in peace talks initiated in Sri Lanka by the Norwegian government to resolve the ethnic issue.

The peace talks are supported by both the United Nations and the European Union and India can play a key role in these talks since it also has a large population of the Tamilians. Vaiko says he is looking for a new dawn for the Tamils settled in Sri Lanka to live in peace, dignity and honour.

Vaiko is quite confident that the new Indian government will actively work for that dawn in the Tamil-majority areas of Sri Lanka, though his worry is that Dixit looks at the Sri Lankan Tamils' issue with the jaundice eyes and may render wrong advices to the government as the National Security Advisor.

That was why he has been meeting leaders of all allies in the ruling coalition as well as lobbying with the leaders of the left parties to realise the dangers in allowing Dixit to continue as the security advisor.

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CMP laid for another CMP - Collect maximum Performance

Reservation to SCs and STs in private sector, education and job reservations to socially and economically backward minorities, and codification of all reservations under a Reservation Act are promised in the agenda set on Thursday for the new United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.

De-communalisation of education, guaranteed employment for 100 days, universal education cess on all central taxes, protection to farmers from imports are some of the highlights of the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) worked out by the UPA allies and supporters. As expected, POTA will be
repealed in view of its abuse and gross misuse in the past two years but without any compromise in fight against terrorism as the existing laws will be enforced strictly.

Releasing the CMP at the Prime Minister's House on 7 Race Course Road in the presence of leaders of all allies as well as supporting left parties, UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi made it that this was not a comprehensive agenda but only the starting point fixing priorities of the new government.

The collective commitment to implement the CMP was reflected in the final word of the 24-page document that "this CMP is the foundation for another CMP -- collective maximum performance."

Kashmir Autonomy: Once again the Kashmiris have been given cheers of respecting their autonomy, pledging to "the letter and spirit of Article 370 of the Constitution that accords a special status to Jammu and Kashmiri. Sustained dialogue with all groups and different shades of opinion "in consultation with the democratically-elected state government" and endorsement of the healing touch policy of the Mufti government with promise of "every assistance to rebuild its infrastructure quickly" are features of the new government's policy on Kashmir.

The only absentees among the party leaders at the release of the CMP were DMK supremo M Karunanidhi (represented by young Dayanidhi Maran) and RJD supremo Laloo Prasad Yadav who was represented by Rural Development Minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh since he had to rush for campaign in the second constituency this monthend.

Women's Reservation: One-third reservation to women in Lok Sabha and Assemblies, a legislation on domestic violence and gender discrimination and earmarking of one-third of all funds flowing to panchayats for women and children are among the promises made to the fair sex.

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, who gave a lengthy commentary on the CMP to explain its hights, stresed that the economic reforms will continue with a "human face" and remoulded to spread rural prosperity and ensure a tangible different in the quality of life of the ordinary citizens.

On behalf of his government, he also made a "solemn pledge" to provide a corruption-free, transparent and accountable government. The CMP promises to make the Right to Information Act more participatory and meaningful,
enact the Lok Pal Bill to check corruption in high plaes and initiate steps to introduce state funding of elecdtions at the earliest. It also promises that the government will drastically cut delays in High Courts and lower courts.

The CMP makes it clear for the first time that the ruling alliance has altogether 15 partners while it is supported by the four left parties. The UPA constituents are: Congress, RJD, DMK, NCP, PMK, TRS, JMM, LJP, MDMK, AIMIM, PDP, IUML, RPI(A), RPI(G) and KC(J).

Basic Priorities: All these parties have committed themselves to six basic principles of governance with the topmost priority to social harmony and firm enforcement of law against obscurantists and fundamentalists. The second principle enumerated in the CMP is to a sustained economic growth of 7-8 per cent per year over a decade and more ensuring employment generation to assure each family a safe and viable livelihood.

Welfare of farmers, farm labour and unorganised sector workers, empowerment of women politically, educationally, economically and legally, full equality of opportunity in jobs and education to SCs, STs, OBCs and religious minorities and unleashing the creating energies of enterpreneurs, businessmen, scientists, engineers and all other professionals are other basic principles committed.

PSUs and Labour: As regards the public sector undertakings (PSUs), the CMP promises that "generally profit-making companies will not be privatised" and they will, in fact, get full managerial and commercial autonomy. Privatisation, wherever necessary, will be done transparently on consultative case-by-case basis.

The "navratna" companies among PSUs will be retained and allowed to raise resources from the capital market, ensuring that they do not lose their public sector character. Only loss-making PSUs will either be sold off or closed after all workers get their legitimate dues and compensation while the private industry would be inducted to turnaround the companies that
have potential for revival.

The PSUs and nationalised banks will be encouraged to enter the capital market to raise resources and offer new investment avenues to retail investors.

While rejecting the idea of automatic hire and fire promoted by the previous regime, the CMP admits that some changes in the labour laws may be necessary but the government will ensure interests of workers and families are fully protected and changes are made after full consultation with trade unions.

Stating that the UPA government "is very sensitive to the issue of affirmative action, including reservations in the private sector," the CMP talks of starting an immediate national dialogue with political parties, industry and other organisation to see how the private sector can fulfill
aspirations of scheduled caste and scheduled tribe youths.

Minorities and Ayodhya: The CMP commits the ruling UPA to set up a national commission to give its report in six months on welfare of minorities that will include reservations in education and employment. The UPA government will also enact a model comprehensive law to deal with communal violence and encourage the states to adopt it to generate faith and confidence in minority communities.

There are a host of other promises to the minorities, including a Commission for minority educational institutions, promotion of modern and technical education among minorities, giving constitutional status and more funds to the National Minorities Development Commission for its effective functioning and recognising Urdu as an official language.

The CMP does not shut the doors for a negotiated settlement of the Ayodhya dispute but with a rider that it "must, in turn, receive legal sanction." The government will await verdict of the courts while encouraging such negotiations and remain committed to implement the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act enacted in 1992 after the Babri Mosque
demolition.

Employment: The UPA has bodily lifted the promise in the Congress manifesto to enact a National Employment Guarantee Act to give the legal promise of employment for at least 100 days in public works every year at minimum wages to at least one able-bodied person in every rural, urban
poor and lower middleclass household. In the interm, a massive food-for-work programme is promised to be launched.

A separate National Commission will be asked to examine problems of enterprises in unorganised and informal sectors to recommend technical, marketing and credit support to them. A national fund will be created for this purpose.

Agriculture: Immediate steps will be taken to ease he burden of debt and high interest rates on farm loans while crop and livestock insurance schemes will be made more effective. The farmers are also promised fair and remunerative prices with the declaration that "the terms of trade will be maintained in favour of agriculture."

Farmers will get adequate protection from imports, particularly when international prices fall sharply. Removal of controls taht depress farmers' incomes, giving them greater say in the organisations that supply inputs and clearance of dues of all farmers, including the sugarcane growers, are some other promises given to the tiller.

Nuclear and Foreign Relations: The CMP promises to evolve "demonstratable and verifiable confidence-building measures with neighbours" while maintaining a credible nuclear weapon programme. I seeks India to take the lead in promoting universal, nuclear disarmament and working for a
nuclear-weapons free world.

Foreign policy and international relations figure at the bottom of the 24-page CMP document reflecting the new government's first commitment towards welfare of its people. The CMP vows to follow the policy of multi-polarity in world relations and oppose all attempts at unilateralism.

It harps on strengthening SAARC and limits itself to just one sentence on Pakistan: "Dialogue with Pakistan on all issues will be pursued systematically and on a sustained basis." The CMP also declares the UPA's support to he peace talks in Sri Lanka to meet the aspirations of Tamils and religious minorities "within the territorial integrity and solidarity of Sri Lanka."

More trade and investment with China, serious pursuing of talks on the border issue with China, reslving outstanding issues with Bangladesh and intensive dialogue with Nepal to develop water resources to mutual advantage form part of the CMP on relations with neighbours. It also makes it clear to the American that India will continue to pursue closer
relations with the United States but it will maintain independence of its foreign policy on all regional and global issues.

Education: Reversal of the communalisation of education in the past five years will attract "immediate steps." Even while promising autonomy to institutions of higher learning and professional education, the UPA commits itself that "nobody is denied professional education because he or
she is poor."

A natioal cooked nutritious mid-day meal scheme funded mainly by the Centre is promised to be introduced in primary and secondary schools throughout the country with an appropriate mechanism for quality checks. The Government will fully support all NGO efforts in the area of primary
education.

Food and nutrition security, direct funding of Panchayats after
consultations with the states, devolution of more functions to panchayats, stoppage of forced evictions and demolition of slums and providing housing to urban and semi-urban poor near their place of occupation and desalination plants' installation all along the coromandel coast of the South stating with Chennai are among various promises given in the CMP.

It also makes it clear that the government was not dumping forthwith the massive project of linking of all rivers conceptualised by the Vajpayee Government as it says the government would rather make a "comprehensive
assessment" of the feasibility of linking the rivers in the country, starting with the south-bound rivers and this assessment will be done in a fully consultative manner.

A score of promises are also made for the states and they are topped by formation of a new commission to suggest changes in the Centre-state relations decided by the Sarkaria Commission two decades ago.

Not to be forgotten is the Telengana Rashtra Samithi whose chief chose to remain a Minister without Portfolio in the new government to accmmodate the DMK as the CMP says: "The UPA Government will consider the demand for the formation of a Telangana state at an appropriate time after due
consultations and consensus."

The Government will be also setting up a committee to examine the demand for declaring all languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution as official languages. Without any such committee, the CMP makes a direct commitment to declare Tamil as a "classical language."

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Both Arafat and Israel Welcome

The External Ministry has been advised by Foreign Minister Natwar Singh to give equal importance to Israel and Palestine in diplomatic dealings. The new government does not want to rub off the relations developed by the NDA government with the Israeli regime but at the same time its Common Minimum Programme reiterates India's support for the Palestinian clause. The CPM insisted on support to the Palestinians fighting for freedom while it was agreed that India should pursue a foreign policy seeking multipolarity and be careful that its non-aligned traditions are not butchered in the foreign dealings.