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Polit Bureau on Yes Bank

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Corporate Cronyism at its Worst

Date: Saturday, March 7, 2020
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement:

The collapse of Yes Bank has raised many disturbing questions about the functioning of private banks and the failure of the regulator, the Reserve Bank of India, to intervene in time. The Yes Bank episode is the worst example of crony capitalism. The record shows that the loan account of the bank increased spectacularly from Rs. 55,633 crore in March 2014 to Rs. 2,41,999 crore in March 2019. The bank was saddled with huge loans given to corporates favoured by the ruling regime. Some of these corporate debtors like Anil Ambani were backed to the hilt by the Modi government, despite their well recorded precarious financial health.

Even though the shenanigans indulged in by the promoter and the board of the bank were known for quite some time, the RBI did not act in time thereby jeopardizing the interests of the depositors. The destructive influence of the current regime based on corporate cronyism on the Indian economy can no longer remain concealed.

Now that the State Bank of India is being asked to buy a stake of 49 per cent in the bank, it is imperative that the bank become a State-owned enterprise. It cannot become a case of privatization of profits and nationalization of losses. Safeguarding the interests of the depositors must be paramount. The RBI should immediate annul the limit of withdrawals set at Rs. 50,000.

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