Paens to the mascot

THE POLITICAL and economic resolutions adopted by the BJP's National Council in Nagpur last weekend could not have been very different if drafted by its coalition partners in the National Democratic Alliance. The BJP's own distinctive agenda, political as well as economic, was not diluted. It was totally absent. And sprinkled generously throughout the resolutions - like cheese on a pizza - was praise for the Vajpayee Government. Both on the handling of Kashmir, and the dilution of the `swadeshi' economic agenda, issues on which the party has been restless, the resolutions ignored protests to support the Government view.

The National Council noted with ``satisfaction and pride'' that the NDA Government presented a ``successful example of running a coalition Government''.

On Kashmir, the party welcomed the Government's ``rejection of the autonomy resolution by the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly'' as a ``step in the right direction'', and at the same time stated that the ``Government should not hesitate to talk to those Indians who are willing to give up violence and sit across the table''. It made its own task easier by substituting militants with Indians.

And finally, the party decided to leave the Kashmir matter entirely to the wisdom of the Government by saying ``we resolve to strengthen the Government's hand in both its campaign against terrorism as well as in its peace initiatives''.

It also saw the ``international isolation of Pakistan'' and the ``alienation of the militants from the Kashmiri people'' as positive developments which signalled that the Government's Kashmir policy was proceeding in ``the right direction''. And, after insistence by some members, the resolution added that the ``BJP is fully committed to Jammu and Kashmir being an integral part of India and to the defence of national sovereignty''.

On the economic front, Mr. Yashwant Sinha, Union Finance Minister, had declared that ``Pokhran II was the biggest `swadeshi' achievement'' since there can be no economic independence without military strength.

Noting the Prime Minister's call to make the next 10 years a decade of development, the party set a target to raise economic growth rate from the present 6.5 per cent to 9 per cent ``on a sustainable basis for the next 10 years''.

The National Council welcomed the new national agricultural policy which sets the target for a four per cent growth in farm production and welcomed the introduction of kissan credit card and crop insurance schemes.

With an eye on the WTO, the party asked farmers to prepare for the ``rapidly growing global market for primary and processed farm produce'' and asked for the development of the food processing industry, thus virtually ignoring the party's fears of increasing agricultural imports hurting the farmer. Mr. Sinha had assured that ``peak duties'' would be imposed on agricultural imports to protect the domestic produce.

The economic resolution called for removal of restrictions on movement of all agricultural commodities throughout the country.

The party described disinvestment as an ``instrument for transforming one set of assets'' into ``more productive assets'' and for ``redirecting the state's role in the economy''. It promised to protect the interests of workers, ensure effective presence of the public sector in strategic areas, and put into place effective regulatory mechanisms before reducing Government presence in any vital sector.

In one area the party had its way and an amendment was forced by the National Council through the addition: ``ban on slaughter of cow and its progeny should be effectively implemented and a ban should be imposed on export of cattle meat''.

There was nothing in the economic resolution to suggest the party wanted the Government to slow down economic reforms.

- N. V.

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