TLI Staff
New Delhi: Days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi vehemently pushed the agenda of disinvestment, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh or BMS has vowed to oppose the government move to sell public sector undertakings (PSUs) such as Air India, BPCL and Shipping Corporation of India (SCI).
“The BMS has unanimously resolved to oppose the disinvestment of the CPSEs (central public sector enterprises) in the name of strategic and non-strategic entities and also against the policy of the government with regards to monetization of the precious assets of the CPSEs,” BMS General Secretary Binoy Kumar Sinha said in an official statement.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Wednesday said that government has no business to be in business making it clear that disinvestment programme would continue unabated.
Presenting Union Budget for 2021-22, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman set a target to mop up Rs 1.75 lakh crore from disinvestment in 2021-22. The target is substantially lower than Rs 2.1 lakh crore it had hoped to garner in FY21.
The National Executive of the BMS which was held at Chennai from 12th to 14th February 2021 deliberated the scenario after the presentation of the Union Budget on February 1 in the context of the “onslaught” of the Government against the CPSEs.
The National Executive of BMS decided to hold a special meeting of the Coordination Committee comprising of CPSEs in the field of Banking, Insurance, Telecom, Oil, Power, Coal, Non-Coal, Engineering, Defense Production Units, Railways, Posts, Ports, Ship Yard, Airports, Air India etc at Hyderabad and chalk out a detailed programme of action.
Accordingly, the Public Sector Undertakings Coordination Committee conducted a special meeting on 25-26 February 2021 at Hyderabad with over 40 heads of unions participating in it.
“The meeting reviewed the present scenario industry wise and a consensus has emerged that the BMS should strongly oppose the policies of the central government vis-à-vis disinvestment, Privatization and (Asset) Monetization and has decided to conduct an agitational programme in different phases,” said the BMS press release.
As per the plan, it will conduct Industry wise seminars from mid-March for one month and also hold workshops in the Month of May. It will hold demonstrations at all corporate offices of all PSUs to register strong protest against stake sale programme.