The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has alleged that the White Paper presented by the United Democratic Front (UDF) government in Kerala on Thursday indicates plans to aggressively pursue privatisation policies pushed by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre.
CPM's Allegations
The CPM state secretariat alleged that the UDF government intends to retreat from welfare schemes and people-oriented development work previously followed by the Left Democratic Front (LDF). A statement from the secretariat said: "Those who misled the public with a barrage of promises have revealed their true colours after coming to power. Naturally, there is no doubt that this will provoke public anger. Though Chief Minister V D Satheesan said the purpose of the White Paper is to disclose the financial situation, what it actually declares is the privatisation or sale of departments that serve the public, including essential ones."
Privatisation of Essential Services
The CPM argued that democratic governments do not treat sectors such as health, education, public distribution, electricity, drinking water, and transport as profit-making industries. These are services the government must provide to the people. Viewing them only through the lens of profit is part of neo-liberal, privatisation-driven policies. This approach makes the government withdraw completely from service sectors and throws people into the ruthless marketplace of the private sector, the secretariat said.
Citing accumulated losses, the government appears to be aiming to shut down or sell many public sector undertakings. The CPM noted that accumulated losses reflect liabilities built up over decades. Putting them up for sale on that basis will push ordinary people in the state into a severe crisis.
Retirement Age and Pay Revision
The CPM also criticised the proposal to align the retirement age with that of central government service, stating that it effectively amounts to a complete hiring freeze for the next five years. The statement added that the proposal for pay revision of employees once in 10 years would be a gross injustice to them.
