Sonia: Missed

New Delhi, June 21: In the absence of Sonia Gandhi, social activist Aruna Roy has refused to remain a part of the National Advisory Council.

The Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan leader has attributed her refusal to Sonia’s resignation and the alleged violation of the national common minimum programme (NCMP) by the UPA.

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a copy of which was accessed by The Telegraph, Roy listed the treatment of Narmada oustees and the NAC’s declining relevance as the main reasons for leaving.

Although she attacked the UPA for not implementing the common minimum programme properly, Roy avoided being confrontationist. She praised the government for passing the Right to Information Act (RTI) and the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).

But she was keen to ensure her decision was not “misinterpreted”. She said she had not resigned from the council but had merely refused to renew her contract that expired this month.

According to Roy’s letter, Sonia’s departure had hit the NAC badly. “?I think the NAC has played its most important role in bringing the benefit of that rich body of opinion to this government.

“The regularity of the meetings and the presence of the chairperson at each one of them also contributed to the NAC being seen by citizens’ groups as a forum of public consultation.”

She said that after Sonia’s resignation, the NAC’s meetings had been disrupted. “I do think this space (NAC as a forum) has been reduced; there have been no regular meetings of the NAC held in the last four months.”

She subtly complimented Sonia’s “resolve and commitment” to issues concerning the poor.

“The passage of the RTI Act, 2005 and the NREGA, 2005 demonstrated that the NCMP was not a collection of empty promises. Without firm resolve and a display of political commitment, these two legislations would not have been passed,” she said.

“?It is to the credit of this government that this kind of grassroot understanding helped shape these legislations. The clear stand of the NAC, backed by the firm resolve of the Chairperson, the acknowledgement of the NCMP as a benchmark for the passage of these legislations, as well as several other decisions related to the social sector, has been particularly encouraging.”

Roy warned Singh about the lobbies within the government that, according to her, were trying to undo the good work done by the NAC.

“?There is a growing cause for anxiety that I must put on record? I have been concerned by the attempts from some quarters, within government, to dilute both the RTI and the NREGA through a variety of means. In fact, in the current euphoria about the performance of the economy there is a great danger of not paying heed to the anguish of the poor and the marginalized.”

She attacked Singh for allegedly not responding to the demands of the Sardar Sarovar dam oustees.

After Medha Patkar sat on indefinite hunger strike in April, Singh had set up a group of ministers (GOM) to report on the status of rehabilitation in the Narmada valley. The team had reported that most oustees had not been resettled, but construction of the dam had not been stopped.

“Despite better rehabilitation for tribals being an explicit assurance in the NCMP, even existing policy and Supreme Court orders were violated as borne out by the report of the GOM constituted by you.

“Despite the report of the GOM, apparently for reasons of political expediency, construction on the dam continues at the cost of people yet to be rehabilitated even as per laid out norms. As this government considers adopting a new rehabilitation policy, it will have to come to terms with this crisis of credibility and confidence due to decisions taken that violated NCMP assurances,” Roy said.