Press Release: Stop Selling the Public Sector, Save the Republic

The story repeats itself in too many towns to ignore: a depot closes, a timetable shrinks, a local bank branch disappears, premiums inch up, fees multiply, and the poorest pay more for less. This is privatization translated into daily life. It’s not a theory on a panel; it’s the bus that no longer runs, the call that never connects, the claim that gets denied.

India’s public sector was created to do what markets avoid — serve where profit is thin, build where risk is high, and protect where vulnerability is greatest. That spine is being snapped. Strategic assets and services are sold as if the Republic were a yard sale. Airports, ports, rail corridors, transmission lines, insurers, banks — the list grows while public oversight shrinks.

We are told this is “efficiency.” In practice, it looks like job cuts, price hikes, asset stripping, and the quiet abandonment of regions that don’t make the spreadsheet smile. When essential services are priced for profit, citizenship is reduced to purchasing power. The Republic becomes a marketplace, and those without money step outside its doors.

Ambedkar’s warning is clear: political democracy cannot endure where economic power is concentrated. Privatization at this scale concentrates power. It narrows who decides, who benefits, and who matters. Selling what we collectively built weakens what we collectively are.

The Ambedkar Humanist Action Team (AHAT) believes India should discontinue its present hyper-capitalist politices and return to the public ownership model that Ambedkar envisioned.

Public enterprises are imperfect. Some are slow. Some were starved of capital or packed with patronage. But the cure for weak governance is better governance — not liquidation. Give PSUs a clear social mandate, operational autonomy, professional leadership, worker representation on boards, and transparent targets tied to public outcomes: access, affordability, regional coverage, safety, and decent work.

The “unprofitable” label is often manufactured. Starve a service, strip its staff, freeze capex, then declare it failing and sell it. After transfer, watch margins bloom while coverage shrinks. This is not reform; it is value transfer from citizens to conglomerates.

We reject the false choice between modernization and public ownership. Modernization is a set of tools — technology, process redesign, dynamic pricing where appropriate, open data, and rigorous audits. Ownership is a question of power and accountability. Keep ownership public where services shape life chances. Modernize relentlessly. Measure publicly. That is how you protect both dignity and delivery.

A people-first economy needs institutions designed for solidarity. That means expanding public banking for rural credit and MSMEs. It means doubling down on LIC’s social insurance role with better grievance redressal and digital access that doesn’t exclude the elderly or the poor. It means railways focused on safety, mass mobility, and climate-smart freight, not premium classes for a few. It means public telecom capacity that treats connectivity like the utility it is.

Labor must be central. Privatization often breaks unions, fragments work into contracts, and erodes safety. We call for statutory floors on wages and social security across supply chains, worker representation in restructuring, and just transition plans where technology changes roles. Jobs are not a side effect; they are the point.

Financing a strong public sector is possible. Curb tax giveaways that don’t generate jobs, close avoidance loopholes, introduce windfall levies where markets gift extraordinary gains, and redirect proceeds to capex in health, education, clean energy, logistics, and research. Publish a green paper annually that shows the social return on public investment — time saved, accidents avoided, emissions cut, livelihoods secured.

Governance must be sunlight. Put PSU performance dashboards online with service coverage, downtime, safety incidents, grievance response times, and citizen satisfaction. Mandate independent boards with reserved seats for workers and consumer advocates. Audit not just finances, but mission delivery. Build pride through transparency, not secrecy.

The Constitution sets the compass: justice, liberty, equality, fraternity. Privatization at scale spins the needle toward private power. We choose the constitutional direction — a Republic where core services belong to the people, are run for the people, and are accountable to the people.

So here is the commitment:

• No sale of strategic assets that determine life chances.

• Reform and recapitalize PSUs with clear social mandates.

• Universal access and affordability as non-negotiable metrics.

• Worker voice and protections embedded in governance.

• Public investment aimed at jobs, climate resilience, and regional balance.

• Radical transparency so citizens can see what is being delivered in their name.

Stop selling the public sector. Save the Republic. Keep the things that hold us together in the hands of the people they are meant to serve. This is not a plea for nostalgia. It is a plan for dignity.

by Kumar Gaurav and the Ambedkar Humanist Action Team