Unease among BJP leaders

By Alok Mukherjee

NEW DELHI, NOV. 17. Disquiet is rising among the middle class over the Government's handling of the economic situation and this is causing concern to the middle-level BJP leaders who foresee political ramifications for the party. Considered the traditional vote bank of the BJP, there is growing feeling among the middle class that it is being made to carry the burden of ``mismanagement'' of the economy.

Topping the list of worries is the employment situation. All on a sudden, there are no jobs for new entrants in the labour market. The traditional jobs for the bulk of the middle and lower middle class youth were Government service, banks and public sector companies. But vacancies are practically non-existent in these organisations now. The private sector too has little to offer and even these openings are for specialised skills. `Generalist' candidates find no takers.

For those holding jobs, the new fear is downsizing. While the private sector has been slashing jobs whenever its fortunes take a dive, the normally `secure' Government employees are now dreading the possibility of job losses. The concept of surplus pool is gathering momentum and many employees in various organisations have been transferred to these cells. For the moment, they are being paid salaries, but enough hints have been given that they should opt for Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) once it is finalised. But, for most Government employees, the prospect of VRS is not at all enticing because alternative employment opportunities are not available. Since the bulk of the Government staff is in the clerical grade, their skills are not specialised and the dim prospects of finding new jobs in mid-life is worrying an increasing number of people.

The middle class is also unhappy with the Government's monetary policy. No amount of official explanation that the inflation rate is now at a low of less than three per cent and hence the real interest rates are high is found convincing by this segment of society which finds actual receipt in hand from the various savings schemes coming down year after year. At the same time, conceding industry's demand for cheap credit through lower lending rates is perceived by the common man as the Government's pro-industry bias at the cost of the ordinary people. ``Why is it that the Finance Minister is seen on TV only in the company of big industrialists and rarely, ever, in the company of the ordinary people,'' is a question frequently asked these days.

On the fiscal policy front, the grouse is similar. With revenues dwindling in the face of mounting expenditure, the Government is caught in a bind since raising tax rates would lead to greater evasion and popular discontent. The only alternative left is to do away with the exemptions in tax laws and this again is seen by the middle class as yet another attack on them. Since the salaried class is taxed at source, its grouse is that this group forms the favourite picking ground for the Government while the `big fish' bribes its way out of the tax net. This perception is periodically strengthened every time a top revenue official is arrested on corruption charges.

With some State Assembly elections coming up soon and general elections in about two years time, the BJP middle rung has become restless. ``Every time we make some noises, we are told to shed the Opposition mindset since we are in Government now. But if things don't change, we may not be in Government for long,'' said a BJP leader on condition of anonymity.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : National
Previous : Cooperative bank staff plan stir
Next     : Five women killed in temple stampede