Now that the left has its way with the provident fund issue, will it stop being a hindrance to governance? Unlikely. Only a few days back, at the central committee meeting of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Prakash Karat had solemnly declared that it was the ?policy? of the United Progressive Alliance government to promote the interests of big business and foreign finance capital at the cost of the poor. He, however, added that the party had no plans to withdraw support in the immediate future. His was thus one of the routine ?bites?, as Sitaram Yechuri would have put it, to make sure the left was ?heard?.

But why this craving to be heard? Is it because the jholawallahs have suddenly been thrown into the spotlight and want to make the most of it? Typically, they have taken on the role of the self-appointed conscience-keepers of the UPA government. But the weight of history and historical blunders are difficult to forsake. So the insecure leadership continues with its outdated mindset. Not a day has passed since the formation of the UPA without the left leaders voicing their anguish against a policy.

Immature leaders

It may probably not be entirely unfair to conclude that most of the left leaders seem extremely fond of the publicity they get because of their new-found importance. As for the government, it seems to have settled into a pattern of behaviour similar to that of the United Front between 1996 and 1998. It is growing used to a shower of left criticism, occasional break, followed by a renewed outburst.

With the saffronites pushed into the opposition, the left has now changed from harping on its anti-communal rhetoric to commenting on the running of the government. But at every stage, it becomes plainly apparent that the left leaders cannot act as maturely as the voters who gave them the opportunity to play such a positive role in shaping India?s destiny. Otherwise, how can they refuse to see the fact that the economic growth that has taken place since the early Nineties could not have taken place without opening up the telecommunications, insurance, airlines and so on to both foreign and domestic private investment?

Double standards

Data from a variety of sources indicate that India could be on the verge of a foreign investment boom similar to China?s. The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy has shown that planned investment in India could be as high as Rs 700,000 crore. The recent AT Kerney survey names India as the third most attractive investment destination in the world. Yet left opposition has held up higher foreign direct investment in the telecom sector.

It is immaterial whether the UPA government will complete its full term. The moot question is whether sustained economic reforms will be possible given the left?s tendency to throw a spanner in every work. The left has been pressurizing the UPA to prioritize certain measures or schemes unmindful of their economic implications. The provident fund rate is just one of them. There are also attempts to scrap press note 18.

Yet the left has no qualms about its double standards when it comes to West Bengal, where the government is shamelessly chasing foreign investment. Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee loved the pat on his back at the Confederation of Indian Industry summit only a day after his party?s politbureau members had poured venom against the UPA. During the Sixties, S.A. Dange, the humbled visionary, had the courage of conviction to preach and practise his ?unity and struggle? formula. The left leadership may be trying to do the same thing on the sly now without the mentor?s courage or conviction.