CPI's call to review support to UPA

The Hindu, 22 April

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Communist party of India (CPI) general secretary A.B. Bardhan has said the Left parties will have to do a collective rethink on the support being extended to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government after the Uttar Pradesh Assembly and Presidential elections.

Mr. Bardhan told a news conference here on Saturday that his party was of the view that the UPA should not be allowed to take Left support for granted and go ahead with policies that were detrimental to the interests of the large majority of people in the country. The CPI, he said, was of the view that the UPA should be told in clear terms that it could not go on without addressing the core issues contained in the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) and persist with its blind pursuit of growth rates, jeopardising the livelihood of large sections of the people.

The CPI general secretary said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had been reaping the benefit of large-scale disenchantment among the people with the UPA rule. The Left had repeatedly warned the Government of the disastrous consequences of its policies, for example on the question of price rise. However, these suggestions were ignored resulting in massive discontent among the masses. The Left had extended support to the UPA to keep the BJP out of power. With discontent growing among the masses, the BJP was deriving the political benefits, despite its moral bankruptcy as seen in its MP indulging in trafficking in women. "It is not love for the BJP, but anger towards the UPA rule that is turning people towards the BJP," he said.

Mr. Bardhan saw no merit in the ongoing discussions on the future President. He said the outcome of the Uttar Pradesh elections was crucial to the Presidential election because of the strong presence of MLAs from the State in the electoral college. He also refused to be drawn into a discussion on the possible candidature of Infosys Chief Mentor N.R. Narayana Murthy and said it was too early for any such discussion.

He hoped that the UPA Government would get the Supreme Court stay on 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Communities (OBCs) in higher education institutions vacated at the earliest.

Mr. Bardhan said though his party was fully appreciative of the need for industrialisation in the country, it could not agree with the decision to establish Special Economic Zones (SEZs) all over the country. The SEZs would only pave the way for grabbing of prime agriculture land by industrial monopolies, which would then become real estate monopolies as well. This would adversely affect the farm sector.