Stating that the PPP model promoted nothing but "indirect privatisation", senior Congress leader Janardan Dwivedi on Tuesday said that it should be dropped as he charged that it was the manifestation of the same principle which was behind the NDA government's controversial land ordinance.
"Public-Private Partnership, disinvestment and privatisation are different manifestations of the same intention. They may be different in nature but the principle is the same. The Land Ordinance is no different" Dwivedi, a General Secretary of the Congress, told reporters here. He expressed apprehension that the land leased to private sector under the PPP model was unlikely to be returned to the government. He felt that large tracts of land with the Railways and Defence could change hands with the private sector using the PPP route to its advantage.
Dwivedi, however, clarified that he was speaking in his personal capacity, saying, "We are a democratic party; I can have my own views." His remarks come at a time when the Narendra Modi government has been pushing the PPP model for faster development. Calling for a "proper balance" between the public and private sector, Dwivedi said there should be "healthy competition" between the two.
Told that the PPP model was also in force under the previous UPA government, he said that appropriate corrective measures have to be taken wherever needed. He was speaking a day after Congress decided to take to the streets against the government's controversial ordinance amending the Land Acquisition Act. The party has chalked out protest programmes across all states ahead of the Budget session of Parliament, which is likely to begin mid-February.
A meeting of party general secretaries convened by Dwivedi had decided that all state units would hold stirs and other forms of agitations, including 'Chetna Abhiyan' (awareness campaign), among farmers by February 15 to inform them about the "dangers" of the land ordinance. The Land Acquisition Act, enacted under the UPA-II government, was the brainchild of Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi and the party is now accusing the Modi government of seeking to take the 'heart and soul' out of the legislation.
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