Striking it Rich

Striking it Rich?

Claiming success over yesterday’s airport and bank strike a left leader in Calcutta asked in a press conference whether investment had come to a stop in France where too there had been a strike. A good question. Perhaps, a more relevant question would have been, how can something that has not even started, stop?

Are the left parties playing a devious game or they being clever by half? The airport and bank strike has done good to no one; while the banks will not be privatised at the moment (and perhaps never will be, whichever part might be in power. You see, the gains for the party in power from nationalised banks are immense) but airport renovation will be carried by the private parties. Although the left parties will do everything to put a spanner the bid evaluation process, if they fail there then during the process of awarding of contract, if they fail at that stage too, then at the time of execution and if they fail there too then there will be the inevitable allegation in the Parliament of corruption etc. They played this game during Manmohan Singh’s regime as Finance minister and they are playing it now. Sadly, even after fifteen years, the left parties have not been able to think any new and more effective way to tackle an issue that in their opinion is the number one enemy of the ‘people’. Well, what more do you expect form a party of geriatrics and mothballed intellectuals.