TLI Staff
New Delhi: In one of the most scathing attack on government’s disinvestment programme, RSS-affiliate Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) has said that pro-privatization lobby has painted the PSUs as inefficient and government think tank Niti Aayog was working merely as an agent to facilitate strategic sale.
“Previously, Planning Commission played a great role in defining the role of each and every sector in India, including public, private sectors and thus tried to shape India’s future. After Niti Aayog replaced Planning Commission, all such serious exercises were stopped and it is merely working as an agent to facilitate strategic sale,” the labour union has said in a declaration.
Launching its biggest protest against the government’s “lopsided” policies, the BMS has decided to intensify the agitation by sitting on a day-long dharna across all district headquarters on January 3, 2020. The theme of the protest would be “Save PSUs, Save Nation.”
Following the protest, the BMS would wait till Budget session for government response and then decide the next course of action. The decision was taken by the Public Sector Convention Committee of BMS which comprises its associate unions across various sectors like banking, insurance, railways and coal.
Public Sector Employees National Confederation comprising of telecom, oil & gas, aviation and power among others also participated in the meeting to chart out future strategy.
Even as opposition parties have objected and employees expressed reservations, Modi government has lined up dozens of PSUs for disinvestment and strategic sale. In many cases, the companies have long record of making profits and paying dividends to the government.
The National Convention of CPSEs employees under the banner of Public Sector Coordination Committee of BMS has demanded immediate brake on privatization, strategic sale, merger of banking and insurance and corporatization of railways.
“Government should immediately find ways to generate revenue by other means. It should withdraw the huge spending on unnecessary corporate concessions,” the BMS said in a press release.
It has asked the government to call an immediate meeting of all the stakeholders to discuss the contentious issues.
The BMS has said that government had given mindless concessions to corporates and as a result it has found its kitty empty. Further, disinvestment has been found the easiest way to sell PSUs which are the national wealth. The union said that government earlier identified loss-making PSUs for sale but found no takers for them and hence it has now resorted to disinvest profit-making companies.
Also read | Hope a good sense will prevail: RSS affiliate BMS on government’s airport privatization
Also read | AAI employees to launch sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar against privatization