Socialist Party (India)
National Executive Meeting
Delhi
9 April 2017
Political Resolution
ON RIGHT TO LIFE AND DIGNITY
Every Indian citizen who believes in the propriety of the Constitution must give a serious thought to the dangerous developments taking place in the country. The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is openly advocating for ‘Hindu Rashtra’ on the lines of RSS, and there are talks in government circles of changing the very nature of the Constitution which ensures a socialist and secular India.
The opponents of the present BJP government and its fanatic ideology apart, innocent citizens, who are nowhere involved in power politics or war of thoughts are repeatedly thrashed and killed mercilessly by goons in open. The victims are mostly poor dalits, adivasis, minority Muslims, Christians and women. The recent case of lynching of Pehlu Khan, a dairy farmer, in Alwar district of Rajasthan, is another such example. The police, in most cases, become silent spectator or give encouragement. This shows that the present government is not willing to protect the right to life and dignity of citizens, ensured in the Constitution.
The Socialist Party condemns this unconstitutional, inhuman and uncivilized attitude of the government in strongest terms. The party demands immediate action against culprits who lynched Pehlu Khan.
ON DEMONETISATION
The Modi Government claims to be serious about fighting the scourge of black money gripping the Indian economy. On November 8, PM Modi himself announced the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes and declared that its principal aim was to crack down on black money in the country. However, it was a farcical measure. Demonetisation can, at the most, demobilise only the black cash, that is, the illegal money, stored with the people at this present moment, and that too, only a small part of it. It does nothing to curb black money generation, nor does it attack the black wealth that has accumulated in the economy over the past years. That the government is not really serious about curbing the black economy is obvious from the fact that it is wilfully not taking any action against those who have huge hoards of black wealth, such as the 500 Indians who are known to have hidden their wealth in tax havens abroad, whose names have been revealed in the Panama Papers Scandal of 2016. It has been reluctant to curb P-notes. The BJP is not willing to make public its own sources of funding, such as from where it got the Rs. 30,000 crore it spent during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections; on the contrary, it has been seeking to dilute anti-corruption legislations.
That the demonetisation policy has proved to be a total failure and has demobilised only a very small amount of black money, is obvious from the fact that three months after the December 31 deadline for depositing the demonetised notes in banks ended, the government has not yet declared how much money has come back into the system! On the other hand, demonetisation has had a devastating effect on the informal sector, including agriculture, small retail and small businesses, and has destroyed the livelihoods of lakhs of people. But the government is not willing to admit even this, and has gone to the extent of manufacturing statistics to show that demonetisation has not had any adverse effect on economic growth. The government kept changing the rules on demonetization almost every day causing confusion and hardships to the public. Over 100 people died due to this arbitrary and abrupt decision. But there was not a single word of sympathy from the PM/government.
ON PASSING IMPORTANT BILLS AS MONEY BILLS
The Modi Government has been using the stratagem of classifying important bills as Money Bills to get them enacted as Acts of Parliament only by the approval of the Lok Sabha, since such bills do not require to be passed in the Rajya Sabha.
This undemocratic strategy has already been employed in the case of the Aadhaar Bill, even though it does not meet the necessary criteria for being such a classification. In fact, it contains many provisions which will have far reaching implications for the fundamental and constitutional rights of Indian citizens. Now, the government is using the same tactics to get the Finance Bill passed, even though it has several important features that have no place in a Money Bill. Thus, it contains several provisions that will drastically increase black money and corruptions, such as the provision enabling political parties to receive unlimited and anonymous funding from corporate entities and from abroad. It is important that such bills, which have serious implications for democratic functioning and financial security of all citizens, be publicly debated, and most importantly, must be subject to proper democratic scrutiny in both houses of Parliament.
The BJP government is tearing all established conventions of the people democracy. Thus Companies (Amendments) Act 2016 is most mischievous. As per the amendments political parties can officially get donations from foreign firms without attracting provisions of FCRA. At present under the Companies Act there is a ceiling for donation, the especially making it anonymous. Central Government’s amendment will result in, as an American Commentator has said after Citizens Case in USA, that nation will have corporate democracy and not people democracy. This can be challenged in the court on the ground of violation of Article 14 of the Constitution and irrelevancy of these legislations behind the passing of Finance Bill.
This wilful violation of the Constitutional propriety by the Modi Government only once again goes to prove that it has no respect for the Indian Constitution. Furthermore, the government, by promoting private sector at the cost of public sector and by diluting the labour laws in favour of industrialists, is violating the very spirit of the Constitution. The B.J.P. Government is determined to dismantle public Sector, the sheet anchor for a Socialist Society. The centralisation of power in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is another example of ignoring constitutional spirit of decentralisation.
The Socialist Party demands from the government :
To disclose in public the names of big defaulters of Public Sector Banks, the total amount being 8 lakh crores. Why should they be shielded, when they are endangering the public interest and economy?
To disclose the names of all Swiss Banks and other tax heavens account holders without delay and to bring back the black money, as promised by Narendra Modi in the election campaign.
To stop any election funding by the corporate sector even in the guise of separate electoral trusts formed by corporate houses.
To introduce minimum of 30% Income Tax on the higher incomes including that on Corporate Sector.
To introduce Inheritance Tax, to reduce gross inequality in the Society.
To revive the Women Reservation Bill in State Legislature and Parliament.
With these immediate demands, the Socialist Party appeals to the citizens of India, particularly the youth, and all the political parties to come together to protect the Constitution of India in order to built a self-reliant, prosperous and civilised nation.
Thus Stands the Socialist Party
Upholding Brotherhood and Equality
