BMS says it tried in vain to approach PM Modi and Ministers

“Left with no other option but to agitate against the government’s policies”

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated Central trade union, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday saying its attempts to approach him and his Ministers had not worked, leaving the union with the impression that the Government was in no mood to “work for the workers of the country”.

The BMS said it was left with no other option but to “agitate” against the government’s policies of privatisation, disinvestment, corporatisation, strategic sale and asset monetisation of the public sector.

“As you must already be aware that BMS follows the philosophy of ‘Responsive Cooperation’, we did not wish to take any strong steps and rather preferred to resolve the issues by means of dialogue…,” In this regard, we have almost unequivocally tried to approach you and your ministers many times but now we have realized that the government is in no temperament to work for the workers of the country, hence, there is no choice left with us but to agitate…,” its letter to Mr. Modi read.

The letter, signed by BMS general secretary Binoy Kumar Sinha, said that BMS would be willing to discuss the issues if the government calls for a dialogue, but “if the government doesn’t step away from the corrupt bureaucracy and vested interest advisors, we will without any seed of doubt, take the road of agitation and protests”. While appreciating the Centre’s efforts to revive BSNL-MTNL, the BMS said it was critical of the strategic sale of PSUs, merger of banks, IPO in insurance sector and corporatisation of defence, railways.

The BMS also hit out at NITI Aayog for “lack of vision and negative attitude”.

“The Aayog is being driven by lopsided intellectuals with western overview of society and economy, completely disconnected from Indian reality. These people are providing the government with wrong data inputs which is hurting India’s socio-economic interests as well as distracting us from reaching our development goals,” the letter said.

Mr. Sinha told The Hindu that if the BMS did not receive a response, it would start chalking out its future course of action in February.

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