Courting the risk of incurring the wrath of bigwigs in his party and the government, Panchayati Raj Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar on Sunday said the UPA government’s policies were tilted in favour of the elite and were devoid of the interests of the masses, which could prove to be disastrous.
The firebrand minister claimed that his views have the sympathy of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as also of some of his Cabinet colleagues. He added that the Premier feels that the time is opportune for a mid-course correction.
Aiyar, who is also the Minister for Sports and the North East, made these remarks in an interview to CNN-IBN in the programme Devil’s Advocate. The minister said he was not worried that the Prime Minister could demand his resignation for expressing such controversial views in public. On the other hand, he claimed that he had received numerous appreciations and flattering support from his party colleagues for his views on a just and equitable order. Aiyar, who was divested of his Petroleum portfolio some time ago, said if the government failed to take immediate course correction, it would lose the support of the aam aadmi. He said that the government’s policies do not reflect the real interests of the majority of the people and are often unduly influenced by elite institutions, like the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). “We’ve got another two years and there is time enough to take certain special measures,” he said.
Aiyar was questioned about a speech he made in April at the CII where he had said: “The masses determine who will form the government (but) the classes determine what the government will do.” Aiyar’s reference to the CII could be construed as an indication of how close big businesses are to the government, thus giving the UPA the tag of being ‘anti-people’. Known for his depth of knowledge and diverse interests, Aiyar said his perceptions on policy had wide support from both within the government and the Congress Party; he added that not a single minister, other than Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, had criticised or reprimanded him.
“In the last one month, since the CII speech, no one has asked for my resignation. I have received numerous flattering references to the speech from my colleagues in the party. There is not one minister who has come to me to say that I should not have said what the speech contained, except for Mr (Dasmunsi).” In fact, Aiyar claimed that he had the right to speak up in the manner he had.“I am the author of the economic introspection report. I am also the author of a very large number of Congress resolutions on this subject. I have been at the heart of the discussions and debates in my party on this issue. I’m in the left wing of my party,” he said.
He said his speech at the CII was directed at its members. Asked if this meant that the government policies were not always in the best interests of the majority of people, he said: “Sometimes I have no doubt about it at all.”
Asked whether government policies were unduly influenced by the interests of the ruling class, Aiyar said: “Yes and I am also suggesting that if we are aware of this, then we can always take countervailing action... industry interests need not necessarily be the country’s interest.”
He said it was absolutely essential for the government to remind itself of its commitment to the National Common Minimum Programme, whose implementation alone could serve the interests of the man on the street.
“My point was to underline that there can be a conflict of interest between the demands of growth and the demands of equity.  Actually, we ought to be conscious of the demands of the masses.” The minister went on to explain at length that a high growth rate of more than 9 per cent conferred disproportionate benefits to the privileged sections of society and felt that growth without equity was of little consequence.
Aiyar was asked whether his comments would have the desired affect on his Cabinet colleagues or whether he was whistling in the wind, “I will certainly not be whistling in the wind, but I will probably not have as much of an impact as I’d like to,” he said.