Cong. won't go back on reforms but wants attention to the poor

By Javed M. Ansari

NEW DELHI DEC 1. There are no `Left' turns for the Congress. The economic introspection group of the party today refused to turn its back on the reforms process started by the party in 1991 but called for a sharper focus on the social sector and agriculture.

Releasing the salient features of the group's recommendations, the senior leader of the party, Mr. Pranab Mukherjee, set at rest speculation on the issue stating that the party was not going to jettison the reform process. ``There is no question of rejecting the liberalisation process or turning left'' he said. Mr. Mukherjee explained that all that the party was doing was to adjust to the changing situation both in the country and abroad.

Mr. Mukherjee's categorical assertion today sets at rest the debate that has been raging in the party over the reforms process. One section has been advocating that the reforms initiated by the party had cost it electorally and called for a change in policy. The leadership was compelled to set up the introspection group because the party's economic agenda had been `hijacked' by the NDA Government and the distinction between the two parties on economic issues had begun to blur.

Set up three months ago, the 56-member group has reaffirmed the party's commitment to the reform process, albeit with a shift in focus in favour of the poor. ``The idea is to ensure that the burden must not fall on the poor,'' says the secretary of the Economic Affairs Cell of the party, Mr. Jairam Ramesh. By shifting the focus the party has made an attempt to mix good economics with good politics and give its version of the reforms a `human face.'

The 15-page document containing as many as 107 recommendations was finalised last night after a late night meeting. It has now been submitted to the party president for approval. Though the group was headed by Mr. Mukherjee, the former Finance Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, was also involved in the preparation of the final document. The group had three sittings after which it was divided into 10 sub groups, which met seperately and submitted their reports which were finally put together by Mr. Mukherjee, Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyer and Mr. Jairam Ramesh . The report was then discussed in detail by Dr. Manmohan Singh and Mr. Mukherjee before it was sent to the party president.

Though the group has stuck to the broad parameters of the reforms process, the document has chosen to tread the middle ground taking into account the views of those who opposed the reform process. ``It is the political document of a party in the opposition in the Centre and in power in nine States`` said Mr. Jairam Ramesh.

`Focus on farm sector'

According to the group, the focus of the second generation reforms must be on the agriculture sector. It has called for greater levels of public investment in agriculture, irrigation, wastelands and watershed development. It has also favoured a comprehensive crop insurance policy, fair remunerative prices for agricultural products and a long-term import and export policy. It has called for improved targeting of food subsidies and enhanced subsidies on agricultural inputs such as fertilizer, water and electricity. Greater focus on rural development programmes, education, health, water and nutrition, and direct involvement of the Government in poverty alleviation programmes have also been suggested.

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