Communist Party of India (CPI) alleges Shinde govt over formation of EAC
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Mumbai: The opposition parties including the Congress and the Communist Party of India (CPI) have alleged Shinde- Fadnavis government over the appointment of maximum non-Marathi corporate tycoons including sons of Adani and Ambani as expert members on the Economic Advisory Committee (EAC). The CPI has further alleged that it’s a big ploy to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra and give Mumbai a status of Union Territory.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in his reply in the Legislative Assembly (Lower House) during the recently concluded Winter Session at Nagpur had announced the setting up of an EAC to achieve US $1 Trillion economy in Maharashtra.
The government issued a Government Resolution (GR) on December 30, 2022 intimating about the formation of EAC. The eyebrows were raised when two specific names including Anant Mukesh Ambani and Karan Gautam Adani were seen in the list of expert members of the EAC.
The GR says, to achieve India’s economy to US$5 Trillion by 2027 and Maharashtra’s economy by US$1 Trillion by 2027, the EAC – an independent body has been set up. This committee will advise the government on economic and other issues. This body will address issues of macroeconomics importance to the state government. The body will hold meetings with various stakeholders and will suggest how to increase domestic manufacturing capacity. It will submit a five-year plan to the state within the next three months from the date of formation of EAC.
The Chairman of the 20-membered EAC is N Chandrasekharan, Chairman of Tata Sons. His expertise is in divers’ sectors whereas Karan Adani is expertise in Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and ports and Anant Ambani is expertise in Power. Rest of the members are from FMCG, banking, engineering, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, education, financial service, vehicles industry, textile, power, agriculture and social sectors, MSME and planning.
Nana Patole, President of Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) through his tweets has criticised the Shine-Fadnavis government. Patole says that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the past thought about welfare of the ‘fathers’ and now they are also doing welfare of their sons. In his tweet, Patole further says that whether BJP came into power for the welfare of the country or for the industrialists who are friends of the BJP.
On the other hand, Comrade Rajan Kshirsagar, secretary of Communist Party of India (CPI) claimed that achieving US$1 Trillion is mere a target to show off, in fact, the members of the committee who are from big corporate houses want to get exemptions in various taxes from the state government and the ruling parties desires to get non -transparent electoral bonds which is nothing but the election fund.
Comrade Kshirsagar and Comrade Subhash Lande have argued that the EAC has been given open access to interfere in the policy making rights of the bureaucracy. They said that most of the members are non – Marathi and they will think about welfare of corporate houses only and nothing about welfare of the state or Maharashtrian people. “The EAC will create the atmosphere to make Mumbai as a union territory,” claimed Com Kshirsagar.
The CPI has demanded that the government scrap the experts committee, restructure it and implement a policy different from the Union Government. Com Kshirsagar says that Tamil Nadu and Kerala have successfully implemented policies by promoting irrigation development, agriculture and cooperative, computer and Information Technology, MSME, power and infrastructure and achieved an increase in Human Development Index (HDI). “CPI will oppose any attempt to implement anti -farmers and anti – labour policies and it will protest against the state government,” warns Com Kshirsagar.
