NEW DELHI, 23 May 2007- The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) steps into fourth year in power on shaky ground marked by poor performance of Congress in Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, followed by blasts at Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad and Punjab remaining tense because of sectarian clashes for a week. In addition, with the common man perturbed by inflationary woes, celebrations marking completion of three years in power were a low-key affair yesterday. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh held a celebratory dinner for UPA allies yesterday. He also released a report card on the performance of the government over the past year.
While the Left bloc, external supporters of UPA have rated government's performance as "mixed," main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party has lashed at it through a 66-page chargesheet- "UPA's three years, aam aadmi's (common man's) tear years." With Left being most displeased by government's economic policies, Sitaram Yechury (Communist Party of India-Marxist) said: "We are not happy with privatization of the pension funds and since we are not happy we cannot support that bill and because of which various rounds of discussions have taken place." Besides, he pointed out: "Farmers are not getting their dues. The UPA government's promise that every village would have a school is still far from implementation."
Describing government's three years as a "mixed bag," D. Raja (Communist Party of India) listed some pro-people legislations like National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and the Right To Information Act. The government had stopped privatization of profit-making public sector units, he said. However, the 9.2 percent growth the UPA government has been talking about has benefited only 10-15 percent people, the Left leaders said. "The economic polices are anti-poor and favor the rich and business class in and outside the country. The Public Distribution System is not streamlined, procurement of food-grain from farmers has not been satisfactory, and farmers' discontent is unabated. The promises by both the prime minister and the finance minister that the benefits would trickle down has not happened even after three years," Raja said.
Describing the UPA rule as "faceless, directionless and spineless," BJP's chargesheet said: "Rising prices of all essential commodities like wheat, rice, pulses, oil, vegetables, petrol, diesel, cement has adversely affected the living standards of the masses." UPA had converted Indian economy "from a state of surpluses to a state of scarcity," BJP said. "Price of petrol and diesel have been hiked six times in their three-year rule, highest by any count," BJP president Rajnath Singh said.
