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UPA-Left : Love-hate relationship |
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The CPI(M), the most important of the Left parties supporting the Manmohan Singh Government from outside, has said that it is still willing to give the Centre some more time to fulfil the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) aimed at benefiting the working class, the peasantry and the common man. Politburo member Prakash Karat who is widely tipped to succeed Harkishan Singh Surjeet as party general secretary, said in Kolkata that the CPI(M) would take stock of the record of the UPA Government’s performance at its party congress to be held in Delhi in April. Karat said after that, the party would decide on moves that might need to be taken in the future. Party veteran Jyoti Basu said the April meet would also enable the CPI(M) leadership “to find out why we have not been able to extend our influence to other parts of the country beyond West Bengal, Tripura and Kerala.
Basu said the present political situation was “complex.” “We have told them (UPA partners) be there in power for five years. But why are you (Congress) still opposing us in the states ?”
“We could never imagine supporting the Congress on the basis of the CMP after having opposed the party over the past 45 years.....but the party still opposes us in the states....we need to understand this better.”
We are supporting the UPA Government only on the basis of certain conditions,” West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said. “We cannot support them if they go the same way as the previous government. Where have the promises of improving the lot of people in the rural areas gone ? What have they done about them ?” We have told Delhi that we are supporting you, but do not ignore us”, Bhattacharjee said.
CPI(M) general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet underlined the need for regularly assessing political developments.
Earlier last week, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh activated efforts to buy peace with the Left parties which had become more critical of the UPA after the Centre hiked the quantum of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the Telecom sector. The Prime Minister spoke to CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan on Monday, February 7. Manmohan Singh wanted to know from the CPI leader the provocation for his statement that “bad days are ahead for the Government.”
According to sources, Bardhan told the Prime Minister that the Left would be left with no option but to criticise the Government if it announces contentious policies without consulting allies. He pointed out the “sudden announcement of FDI in the Telecom sector” was a “perfect provocation” and said he has to explain his party’s position to the cadre in the ongoing state conferences of his party. The long distance talk ended with the Prime Minister inviting him for yet another meeting in Delhi.
It is also learnt that Singh had a meeting with Sonia Gandhi on Monday itself where the two leaders reportedly discussed the increasing belligerence of the Left. The meeting followed reports about the Left deciding to write a complaint to the Congress president about the Government’s tendency “to take the Left for granted.” The Left leaders had sought Sonia Gandhi’s intervention in the policy matters. But the Congress president also chipped in by deputing her political secretary Ahmed Patel to meet CPI(M) chief Harkishan Singh Surjeet and the Forward Block leader Debabrata Biswas in Delhi. While trying to measure the depth of the Left unhappiness, Patel sought to pacify Left leaders. He even conveyed the desire of Sonia Gandhi for a meeting with the Left leaders for ironing out the differences. But Surjeet and Biswas reportedly told the Congress president’s emissary that meetings alone will not settle differences. In other words, the Left parties should be made to feel that they have a stake in the policy agenda.
Activists of the Left parties held demonstrations all over the country on February 7 to protest against the decision to increase the FDI limit in the Telecom sector. Addressing a gathering on the occasion in New Delhi, CPI secretary D. Raja said there would be resistance both within and outside Parliament if the decision is not withdrawn. The Left, he said, would not compromise on steps which affected the national interest and national security.
Two of the smaller Left parties, the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and the Forward Bloc (FB), have asked the Left to take a tougher approach towards the UPA Government. The RSP has gone to the extent of saying that it will sever its ties with the UPA in protest against what it called anti-people policies of the Centre. Speaking at the 17th West Bengal Convention of the party in Kolkata, RSP state secretary Debabrata Bandopadhya said his party would not flinch from snapping its ties with the UPA if the anti-people policies continue.
The Forward Bloc has said that it would adopt an independent strategy on supporting the UPA. Lashing out at the UPA, the Forward Bloc warned it of what it called “dire consequences” if the UPA Government continued to give no consideration to the Common Minimum Programme. In a statement in New Delhi, the Forward Bloc Central Committee said the UPA Government has failed to bring about any qualitative changes in the economy. The party also accused the CPI(M) and the CPI of having a soft corner for the Congress.
FDI hike in private banks : Left informed
Despite the Left opposition, the Government has decided to go ahead with its resolve to hike FDI in private banks. Finance Minister P. Chidambabram told CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan that the decision cannot be delayed any further. He said the decision will go a long way in improving the investment climate and increase the confidence of the investors.
“Many American investors are waiting in the wings,” he said when Bardhan sought to know the urgency in pushing the proposal. The meeting between the two followed complaint from the Left that they are not being consulted on policy decisions. The Finance Minister is expected to convey the decision to leaders of other Left parties.
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