New Delhi, September 18
The Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, today assured the CPM leaders that they would be taken into confidence before any policy decisions were taken and contentious issues, including the FDI hike would be discussed in the UPA-Left parties Coordination Committee meeting slated later this month.
The meeting was convened by the Prime Minister following critical remarks by veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu on the functioning of the UPA government.
The former West Bengal Chief Minister, CPM General Secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet, politburo member Sitaram Yechury attended the meeting. The UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was also present at the meeting.
After the meeting, the Prime Minister said government would take into confidence all UPA partners and “fulfil their expectations”.
The meeting comes a day before the Prime Minister’s departure for the USA where he would also address CEOs as part of efforts to woo foreign investment.
The discussions were held on the “working of coalition, the works that are being undertaken and the plans for the future programmes”.
Asked if they had raised their differences over FDI and other issues, Mr Yechuri said the Prime Minister “assured us” that all concerns of the Left parties on the implementation of the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) would be taken care of.
Referring to employment generation, food-for-work programme, the mid-day meal schemes and schemes on rural infrastructure, he said: “All of them are in the pipeline and you will shortly see the results. These would take a tangible shape in the next couple of weeks”.
“We discussed all these issues”, Mr Yechuri said.
On the Maharashtra elections, he said talks between the NCP and the Congress were still on and “they will get back to us”. The CPM’s Maharashtra unit has drawn up a list of seats to be contested where the party could put up
an effective fight. The CPM PolitBureau said it was the “special responsibility” of the Congress leadership and United Progressive Alliance (UPA) to rebuff all attacks on secular-democratic values by the BJP.
Asked about the recent statement by veteran Marxist Jyoti Basu on withdrawing support if the UPA government did not abide by the CMP, Mr Yechuri said today’s meeting was convened only because “Mr Basu came to Delhi after a few months and the Prime Minister and Ms Sonia Gandhi wanted to meet him” and not because of any threat.
