‘MNREGA has not delivered the desired results'

Whether it is telecom, land acquisition policies or governance, the UPA Government has failed to deliver. Given the Congress's deteriorating relationship with allies such as the Trinamool Congress and the DMK, the present government may not last its full term, says BJP MP and president of its Yuva Morcha, Anurag Singh Thakur.

Excerpts from an interview with Business Line:

What are your views of the general disenchantment with the UPA government, and talk, particularly in corporate circles, of a policy paralysis?

Not only big corporate houses, but also smaller businessmen and foreign companies who used to look at India as one of the most lucrative or attractive destinations, feel this policy paralysis. They are no more interested in coming to India for various reasons.

Such as?

Land acquisition, red-tapism, corruption and non-seriousness of the Government in getting investments. From 1998 to 2003, the NDA government created 62 million jobs but the UPA has managed to create only two million jobs in the last five years. These are NSS figures. Things are getting from bad to worse; there is no co-ordination between the Government and the Congress; the NSC is functioning on a different platform, and on the Lokpal the government and the Congress have different views.

Coming to MNREGA and the Food Security Bill, are we in a position to run such schemes? Rs 60,000 crore has been spent every year on MNREGA the last four years, but there is no social audit.

But isn't it a way to reach out to the unprivileged classes? MNREGA aims at social inclusiveness and that was one of the factors which returned the UPA to power in 2009...

Yes, but do you want to run this country just to return to power or do you want to offer effective governance?

MNREGA has ensured subsistence-level income for the poor, though, and checked migration from States such as Bihar…

What has MNREGA done for agriculture? In places like UP and Bihar, we need to build better roads and industries and provide quality education and health-care. Let me give an example.

In Himachal Pradesh, the apple belt, which is an annual industry of Rs 2,000 crore, had a large impact on the economy but only in the upper regions, such as Shimla and Kulu. People from lower Himachal used to migrate, even after graduation, to Punjab, Delhi and Mumbai. So the State government introduced the very innovative idea for self-employment by starting poly-houses about three years ago. The budget was Rs 353 crore, and in three years the economy of lower Himachal has crossed the economy of upper Himachal. The value of vegetables and flowers grown in the poly-houses have crossed Rs 2,250 crore.

So, if the BJP returns to power in 2014, will you get rid of the MNREG scheme?

I've suggested that if you want to spend this money, club it with the MP funds or give more money to various State governments so the money can be better utilised, and there can be audits. From MNREGA funds, if you are making a path just out of sand, it won't survive the first rains. But if you use bricks or concrete, its life will extend a few years more.

Coming back to the economy and Dr Kaushik Basu's recent comments that economic reforms will have to wait….

I agree with him, though he denied it later. The Land Acquisition Bill is hanging fire for so many years. We talk about land acquisition policy but our courts are restricting companies from carrying on construction after building 35 storeys. Where are we heading?

Look at telecom…first, Rs 1,76,000 crore were siphoned off. Now the 73 million customers of Uninor migrating to BSNL, Airtel, and other providers, will create an additional burden on those networks, which are in a pathetic condition already.

Connectivity is poor and call-drop rates are high. 3G services have failed in India and you're talking about 4G, and linking every Panchayat with broadband! There are allegations in rural areas that the employees of the state-run BSNL are working for private networks for a consideration and, hence, its service is so poor.

Do you see this government lasting till 2014?

Not really. The allies are not happy. Mamata is not happy, the DMK is sulking, feeling that ‘we are not the only ones who have siphoned off money in 2G but we are the only ones being blamed and put behind bars'. It is not a happy and healthy relationship between the Congress and its allies.

But things in the BJP too are not hunky dory. There are so many different voices, you are not able to project one prime ministerial candidate.

Why should we; are we facing elections today? You announce the election tomorrow or after two months and we'll announce the PM candidate! But you can't expect that two years before the elections…

Is there concern within the party about too many leaders aspiring for the post?

That's a healthy internal democracy. Even new MPs raise issues before senior leaders at parliamentary party meetings. This can't happen in the Congress!

What are your priorities as president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha?

To get the full benefits of being a young nation. Involve… attract, the youth to our ideology. I tried to do that with the rashtriya ekta yatra , raising the issue of Kashmir, respect for the national flag. People say the young are interested only in their lives and careers and not the country. I found that is not true; I had overwhelming response.

Talking of youth, why did the BJP do so badly in the recent Uttar Pradesh elections, where there were so many young voters?

Perhaps because there was no clarity on our CM candidate. Or because people saw polarisation in favour of the Samajwadi Party on the promise of reservation for Muslims. When the media predicts a hung Assembly, people try to vote for a result. In the 2009 elections, the media talked of a Third Front government led by Mayawati or the Left, so in places like UP, the majority of voters sided with Congress.

Without UP in your bag, how do you hope to return to power in Delhi?

National and general elections are different ball-games. People look at larger issues in national elections such as corruption, inflation and bad governance.

How do you look at India and Pakistan resuming talks, trade ties?

We can't trust Pakistan. We've been very open; but whenever there is a peace initiative, whether by Indira Gandhi, Vajpayee or others, what did we get? After 26/11 the nation has decided that let Pakistan first commit to bringing the culprits to book. They are still denying it and running away from the facts. They are not coming with a pure heart, so we cannot trust them.

Yes, it will be good for both the countries and the region to have trade ties. They've talked about withdrawing troops from Siachen, but we shouldn't step back even an inch.

rasheeda@thehindu.co.in

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