Common man on common minimum agenda

The common man is the focus of the UPA's draft common minimum programme, which was circulated among the allies on Friday.

The common man is the focus of the United Progressive Alliance's (UPA's) draft common minimum programme (CMP), which was circulated among the allies on Friday.

HT Image

Among the promises the draft makes are:

Large-scale assistance for farmers;

Revival of the public distribution system (PDS) and sick industries;

More economic reforms, but with a human face;

A possible merger of the finance and disinvestment ministries;

Selective disinvestment of loss-making public sector units, with strategic sectors remaining untouched;

A negotiated settlement of the Ayodhya dispute with the court's consent;

Checking saffronisation of education;

And scrapping Pota.

"The document has been drafted keeping in view the fact that regional leaders have a greater role to play in the coalition government," said a Congress source. The rethink on Pota has been prompted by the strong views expressed against it by allies, particularly those from the south.

The draft focusses on providing food security, with a rethink on the existing PDS, which was given different provisions for people above the poverty level and those below the poverty level. The need to revert to the earlier, integrated system has been felt, sources said.

Calling the CMP "agriculture-focussed", party sources said the document had stressed the need to carry out economic reforms in line with the needs of the farm sector. A sizeable number of seats for the UPA came from Andhra, Tamil Nadu and Haryana where the support of farmers turned the tide against the NDA, the sources said.

The CMP also talks about improving relations with neighbours, continuing the dialogue with China and Pakistan and maintaining the present level of engagement with the US.