Press
Briefing Monday, 5th July 2010
Shri
Abhishek Singhvi addressed the media today.
Shri Abhishek Singhvi said that the BJP, NDA and other
opposition parties should introspect. The country is
asking several questions. The ‘aam-aadmi’ is asking the
same question. Let me ask all those questions and let us
see the fact.
Question No. 1: Is the so-called ‘Bandh’ intended and
calculated to promote public interest and social
welfare. Does it obstruct services and is it not going
to cause maximum damage to the person in whose name the
entire exercise is invoked? The answer is only one. The
very word is intended to disrupt, to obstruct and to
cause inconvenience. It is anti-public interest
masquerading at a public interest activity.
Question No. 2: Does it do anything constructive,
anything ameliorative, does it solve any problem and
does it have any concrete suggestion? If it is only to
highlight grievances, the grievances have been and could
be highlighted in the press in Parliament. Was stopping
civic amenities and services the correct manner to
highlight grievances or was it indulging in pure
sensationalism. The object was to do gimmickry and not
to address the problem.
Question No. 3: As a responsible opposition or a set of
opposition parties supposedly, do they believe in doing
unconstitutional and illegal act? This is a free
democracy, you can have free procession, you can have
free speech but specifically a ‘Bandh’, as opposed to
assembly or a procession, more than 12 years ago in 1998
has been declared to be unconstitutional by no less than
the Hon’ble Supreme Court. The ‘Bandh’ seeks to stop
facilities and amenities for the ‘aam-aadmi’ and the
Court put it well when it said the fundamental rights of
the people as a whole cannot be subservient to the
fundamental rights of a section of the people.
Question No. 4: Therefore, when you find that it is
unconstitutional or that people who are most prejudiced
are not responding, you do something worse. You have
what is known as a Government sponsored or State
sponsored ‘Bandhs’ especially in few areas where you are
in power. You see it today. The utter failure on one
hand in some areas but a deliberate showcasing in
certain States ruled by those want who want to show. A
State sponsored ‘Bandh’ is even more unconstitutional –
because the state is effecting essential services.
Question No. 5: Instead of understanding or appreciating
a bold decision which this Government have taken to bite
the bullet and to reduce the huge indirect tax which the
‘aam-aadmi’ pays. That huge indirect tax in the form of
huge subsidy of over Rupees One Lakh crore to the oil
companies is OK with the NDA and with others. That does
not shock them. It is a tax which the same ‘aam-aadmi’
pays but when the subsidy is reduced, then they object
purely because they are not appealing to the mind or to
logic but trying to create sensationalism.
Question No. 6: We are not surprised. We know you have
always practiced hypocrisy, double standards and a
forked tongue. What happened, if I may ask you NDA from
1998 to 2002, kerosene went from Rs. 2.50 to Rs. 9.00
per liter. What happened to crude oil. From March 1998
to May 2004, an increase of 147%. And what happened to
kerosene at the end of the term i.e. 2004, it increased
258%. Petrol increased more than 25 times from 1998 to
2004. Diesel increased more than 20 times. Kerosene
increased four times. LPG increased just under 10 times.
This is fooling the people. This is being hypocritical.
This is trying to pull the bull on the eyes of the
people.
Question No. 7: On the contrary, have you ever
understood that the increase by us is minimalist, is
reasonable and softens the impact to the maximum. Under
recoveries are very large. If we had tried to do a full;
blow increase, the increase would be three to four times
in each category. Under recoveries e.g. in one liter of
kerosene is Rs. 14.73 per lt., in Diesel it is Rs. 2.62
per lt. The total under recoveries after the increase
would be still Rs. 53,000 Crores.
So that impact they are still absorbing – that
minimalist. Kerosene has increased by Rs. 3/- per lt. at
the maximum including urban consumption which is more
than rural. It is 50 paise per day per family i.e. Rs.
15/- per month per family; per day one rupee for LPG
cylinder. The actual increase internationally of crude
oil in this period from May 2004 to 2010 of UPA period
is 111%. We have increased less than 50%. This is most
important – the kerosene increased by 258% during NDA
regime and petrol increased by 47%. In contrast, in our
times the kerosene has not increased even once since
2004. In 6 yrs, for the first time against Parikh
committee recommendation of increase of Rs. 6/- per lt.,
we have increased by Rs. 3/- per lt. and between 3/2002
to 4/2010 the price of kerosene internationally has
increased 4 times. In Diesel, we are aware of the
implications of the agricultural sector and that is why
it is official Government policy that 12% of diesel
which is consumed in agricultural sector, part of that
cost can be absorbed by increasing MSP i.e. minimum
support price.
Question No. 8: Would the CPM and the Left want to
duplicate its historical past of encouraging lawlessness
which they have been doing in their own State by
creating State sponsored ‘Bands’. Would they like to
replicate that model across the country? We know of this
model both in West Bengal and Kerala. Do the people of
this country expect that to be duplicated nationally and
does the Left believe that in duplicating these negative
lawless, disruptive models into national politics while
joining hands and being bed fellows of the BJP is good,
is principled, then I would say congratulations to the
Left. They have achieved their objectives of being bed
fellows with the ultra right of this country. Similarly
if the BJP and the NDA would like to fight shoulder to
shoulder with the Left, we would say congratulations to
them. This is their true face. This is true principle,
this is their true approach.
None of these questions have any reply. Their only reply
is eloquent silence. And that is why nothing but
sensationalism and creating noise through so-called
‘Bandh’ is the agenda which the opposition has.
On the question of reaction of the Congress Party on
today’s ‘Bandh’ and does that not reflect the deep
anxiety and resentment of ‘aam-aadmi’, Shri Singhvi said
that on the contrary everything I have just said
completely refutes and negates that statement. Except
for state sponsored initiatives in certain State where
they are in power themselves, there has been a complete
flop, a complete negative reaction against the ‘Bandh’
and not for the ‘Bandh’ and Yes, we are anxious not
because of the ‘Bandh’ but for the ‘aam-aadmi’ because
‘aam-aadmi’ is hurt by such State sponsored ‘Bandh’
which are nothing but official ‘melas’ in certain
BJP-NDA ruled States.
On the reaction of the Congress party over the NCP
pasting huge posters in Mumbai against the recent petrol
hike, Shri Singhvi said that let us be clear that we are
in fact more concerned than anybody about food
inflation. It remains for a particular basket of
specified few commodities which is of genuine concern to
us. Every possible effort is being made but as has been
noted in recessionary conditions, the bigger danger is
deflation and not inflation. Inflation is bad, it is to
be controlled, and it is a menace which we are combating
with all our power but we have to strike the balance to
ensure that we are not drawn into the context of
deflation either and that is the challenge; it has
stabilized at a certain percentage. Let us hope for the
best and wait and watch.
Tom Vadakkan
Secretary, AICC
