RSS allies plan to attack Govt's anti-swadeshi rule

RSS allies plan to attack Govt's anti-swadeshi rule
SHARAD GUPTA

NEW DELHI, FEB 23: `Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh leaders' honeymoon with the Bharatiya Janata Party seems to be over as RSS affiliates are planning agitational programmes immediately after the presentation of the Union budget.

While Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) has already staged two demonstrations against Government's "anti-labour" policies, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh and Swadeshi Jagran Manch, two other affiliates of the Sangh would hold their strategy sessions within the next week.

``We will certainly launch agitation against the Government's anti-swadeshi policies. What we need to decide is only the extent and mode of protests'', SJM convenor Murlidhar Rao told The Indian Express today.

The three-day strategy session of the SJM at Vrindavan from March 1 would be attended by RSS top brass K S Sudarshan, Dattopant Thengadi, Madan Das, Mukund Gore, S Gurumurthy. Three senior BJP leaders K N Govindacharya, Narendra Modi and party's economic affairs cell chairman Jagdish Shettigar too would attend the Swadeshi discourse.

But before that Kisan Manch would hold its three-day national convention at Hastinapur near Meerut from tomorrow which will be presided over by Dattopant Thengadi and RSS chief Rajendra Singh alias Rajju Bhaiyya.

``We will discuss Government's economic policies especially those related to the farm sector and pass some resolutions'', claims Trilok Chand Sharma, organisational secretary of the Kisan Manch for Delhi and Haryana.

The SJM leaders too are apparently critical of Government's policies. ``We will put the Union budget on touchstone of Swadeshi and if it was found anti-swadeshi, we will teach the Government a lesson'', Rao says.

Sangh leaders are annoyed with the Government over its clearance to the script of controversial film "Water", its open-handed welcome to foreign investment in small-scale and retail sector, especially in supermarkets.

The Government was, in fact, going well ahead of the schedule in fulfilling World Trade Organisation obligations, they feel. ``The Government should renegotiate with WTO since scope for the same was still there'', says Rao.

The SJM was also opposed to opening of legal, accountancy and medical sectors to foreign professionals since it would result in ``transfer of market from India''.

The Kisan Manch too was against imposition of any tax on farmers, rich orpoor. ``After a land ceiling, there are no rich farmers so whom is Government going to tax'', asks Sharma. Rao criticised both BJP and CPM for supporting the proposal to tax the farm sector by saying, ``how can land reforms and taxing of farm sector go hand in hand. They lack sound knowledge of the subject''.

The RSS instead, wants the Government to encourage technological development in rural sector. The Government should encourage bio-alternatives for increasing self-reliance in agriculture, Sangh leaders claim.

The Sangh has taken strong exception to Union Minister of State Vasundhararaje Scindia's recent statement stressing need for foreign investment in small enterprises. ``Its not a lucrative proposition. Nobody is going to come forward to invest in small scale sector. Such statement coming from a Cabinet member has serious implications'', says a senior RSS leader.