Brinda Karat, Renuka Chowdhury differ on World Bank influence on economic policies

BHUBANESWAR: Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury and CPI-M politburo member Brinda Karat today differed on the influence of World Bank and other funding agencies on formulation of India's economic policies even as both blamed their male counterparts for delay in passage of women reservation bill in the Parliament.

Both the women leaders were speaking on social divide at a function held on occasion of the 82nd birth anniversary of Odisha's former Chief Minister Nandini Satpathy.

Karat opined that liberal economic policies adopted by the Centre further divided the society where poor became poorer while a handful of rich turned ultra rich. She blamed it on the influence of World Bank, IMF and other international funding agencies which, according to her, influences economic policies.

Asking people to be cautious to these funding agencies, Karat said unless the country has its own economic policies to meet requirements of its people, the social divide would continue. She said division in the society was mostly due to economic factors.

Rejecting Karat's claim that World Bank and others influenced India's economic policies, AICC spokesperson Renuka Chowdhury said: "World Bank no more dictates India. We are the country which spends more money on education and health while countries like Japan and Germany are cutting down their budget on social sector."

Therefore, nobody including World Bank can dictate terms to India and influence its economic policies, she said.

On Women Reservation Bill, both said though all parties in public support it, none pursued it in letter and spirit. Therefore, the Bill is not passed despite several assurances. "They (male leaders) say one thing on television and give different opinion before the chairperson of the Houses," Choudhury said.