LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party has vowed to work against the use of English in education and computers in new projects. While these are pitched as populist measures ��� abolition of "expensive education in English" would allegedly create a level playing field for all and less use of computers would generate jobs ��� the steps are being viewed with alarm as they have the potential to drag back the country by years.

Releasing the party manifesto here on Saturday, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav dwelt on his pet anti-English theme. The manifesto says that if a new government were to be formed with SP's support, it would work to abolish schools providing expensive education in English ��� in other words, virtually every public school regarded among the country's top schools. Interestingly, Mulayam Singh's two sons have gone to such schools.

While speaking to reporters, Mulayam Singh said he was against "the compulsory use of English language in education, administration and judiciary". He said SP favoured the national language, Hindi, and regional languages. To give his anti-top grade education a populist spin, he said his party was in favour of free education for girls until graduation.

On computers, Mulayam said their use was leading to unemployment. He added that wherever work can be done by hand, computers would be abolished. As everything was done by hand until the advent of computers, the step, if taken to its logical conclusion, could lead to the scrapping of almost all computers. Later, it was clarified that less use of computers would be enforced only in new projects ��� again, something that could put new projects at a disadvantage vis-a-vis older ones.

Not just these, the SP has also come out against mechanized farming, arguing against agricultural machines. Harvesters, Mulayam said, would snatch jobs from poor labourers during the harvesting season which, he claimed, gave employment for six months. The manifesto adds that after tractors were introduced, the bovine population has been coming down. Instead of ploughing land, bullocks and calves were going to slaughter houses.

Although SP has had close ties with the corporate world, its manifesto advocates bringing corporate salaries on par with government pay. Taking a leaf from the Left, Mulayam said at present, the economy was benefiting just a handful who had control over capital. He also opposed forward trading and said if a government was formed with SP's support, it would work to cut back if not abolish stock trading and mall culture.

The SP manifesto released on Saturday has pledged free agriculture facilities to farmers apart from loan at the rate of 4%, no forced acquisition of land and steep hike in minimum support price of crops.

And though Mulayam supported the nuclear deal, his manifesto has opposed American dominance in UN. Advocating friendly ties with neighbours, Mulayam said, "If a government comes to power with our support, we will ensure that action is taken against communal powers and attack terrorism at its roots".

Interestingly, Mulayam, who is facing CBI inquiry for having disproportionate assets, said that government should seize assets of people having excess wealth.

Mulayam had something for Muslims and Muslim clerics as well ��� for the past 15 years, visas to Muslims students from Bangladesh, Lanka, Afghanistan, Middle East and European countries for studying at the Islamic education centre of Darul-Uloom-Deoband in UP were not being issued, he said. He assured that if a government was formed with SP support, visa rules would be relaxed. He also promised implementation of the Sachar panel recommendations. He also advocated quota for Muslims, backward and SC/ST in IITs, IIMs.

Times View

It seems Samajwadi Party wants to drag India back by decades. That's why it wants to scrap English as a medium of education, even though knowledge of the language gives India an edge among developing countries in the world. In fact, China is going full throttle with English education. Not just this, the party's belief that getting rid of machines will ensure employment is absurd. If that was so, why are millions migrating from vast almost machine-free states like UP and Bihar to cities like Delhi and Mumbai in search of jobs? If SP wishes well for the country, it should be working out how to increase productivity rather than dabbling with nonsensical economics.

QnA: In progressive of today, can political parties afford to have such a regressive approach?

