UF's Common Minimum Programme falls short of promises

George Iype in New Delhi

One year after the Common Minimum Programme was chiselled out of a multitude of political ideologies, many of the promises made in the CMP by the 13-party United Front partners have not been implemented.

When the coalition government headed by then prime minister H D Deve Gowda came to power on June 1, 1996, the CMP was cited as the vital instrument of political stability, economic growth and social upliftment.

However, instead of political stability, there have been two prime ministers in less than 12 months, economic growth dwindled from 7.3 per cent in 1996 to 6.7 per cent in 1997 and the government hardly launched any social development projects.

But the promises made in the CMP have not stirred the coalition partners, except the Left parties. "The UF government's major failure is its uncaring attitude towards the CMP," says Somnath Chatterjee, the Communist Party of India- Marxist leader in Lok Sabha.

"There were at least some 30 major programmes that the UF government was duty-bound to launch as per the CMP. But there has been no initiatives on these programmes," he told Rediff On The NeT. "There is also an uncanny silence from ministers and MPs on crucial commitments made in the CMP," he added.

Leaders like Chatterjee recall that Deve Gowda began his innings last year by convening a meeting of chief ministers to discuss and implement the Sarkaria Commission recommendations on Centre-state relations. The meeting had set up a high-level committee to review the Commission's recommendations and draft an update report within three months; but no report has yet been prepared.

That the controversial Babri Masjid-Ram Janambhoomi issue would be referred to the Supreme Court under Article 138 (2) of the Constitution was another major promise made in the CMP. But the government has not uttered a word on the subject in the past year.

To stop discrimination against women, the CMP pledged to reserve one third of elected membership in Parliament and state assemblies for women. It also said the government would remove those provisions of law to end atrocities against women and grant them gender equality.

But those who have blocked the Bill for Women's Reservation are prominent UF leaders themselves. To tone down male opposition to the Bill, Prime Minister Inder Kumar Gujral inducted four women ministers into his ministry last week. But not many believe this will help in the Bill's smooth passage.

Similarly, despite repeated recommendations from the National Commission for Women, there has been no effort to remove the provisions of law to end discrimination against women.

The CMP had assured a series of pro-minority policies like reservation for dalit Christians and Muslims, special banks and schools in the districts with the largest minority concentration and re-drafting of the existing 15-point programme for minority communities. But the promises still remain on paper.

The CMP pledged to make free and compulsory education a fundamental right for children, launch special projects to take care of children and the disabled, and eradicate child labour from all occupations and industries.

Last month, the Cabinet cleared the proposal to make elementary education a fundamental right, but the right will not become a reality till the government introduces and passes a bill in Parliament. Special projects for children and the disabled are still with the human resource development ministry. On child labour, the government has even ignored a Supreme Court order to carry out a national survey on child servitude.

The CMP stated that the UF government would issue a national policy on water sharing and management. But no policy has so far been announced. Sharing of the Alamatti, Cauvery and Krishna river waters remains a sore point between the southern states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Similarly, the CMP said the government would appoint an independent tariff commission and enact a new law to tackle sick industries. But these policies are still to see the light of day.

Legislation to set up a Lok Pal to deal with corruption in high office was another CMP promise. A Lok Pal Bill was introduced in Parliament last year; but no political party has showed the will to make it a law.

Likewise, the government also planned to review the Official Secrets Act and enact a new bill on judicial reforms. But there has been no progress on these fronts.

These unfulfilled promises in the CMP have forced the Left parties to plan a new offensive against the government. "We cannot keep quiet when the government is not going in the direction it had promised to go on," says D Raja, the Communist Party of India national secretary.

Raja told Rediff On The NeT that the Left parties will demand a special sitting of the UF steering committee to specially discuss the CMP. "The UF government's achievements in the past year are not very exciting," he said. "Only the Left parties are worried about the non-implementation of government policies and programmes," he continued.

Janata Dal leader and Information and Broadcasting Minister Jaipal Reddy admits that some of the programmes mentioned in the CMP have been delayed because of the political instability afflicting the UF government in the last 12 months.

"But it is unfair to say that the government did not initiate any policies and legislation. We have launched a number of programmes like revamping of the public distribution system, allocating 10 per cent of funds for the north-eastern states, abolishing discretionary quotas of ministers etc," Reddy told Rediff On The NeT.

Major legislation like the Bills on women's reservation, broadcasting corporation, freedom of information and Lok Pal, the minister said, are being debated in Parliament. "The government will pass these Bills when an all-party consensus emerges," Reddy added.