Press Breifing Monday, 5th Jul 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