M A I N   N E W S

CPI may review support to UPA government
19th party congress opens today 
R. Suryamurthy
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 28
The Communist Party of India (CPI) will take several crucial decisions, including review of its support to the UPA government at the Centre, and the strategy and tactics it should follow for the next three years at the 19th party Congress beginning here tomorrow.

The party Congress will also throw light on the strategy the party will adopt to the support being extended to the Congress-led coalition at the Centre, as the CPI is not happy with the economic policies of the UPA government.

The CPI party congress being held in the recess period of the Budget Session of Parliament is significant as the Union Budget 2005-06 is yet to be passed and any signal from the party platform in Chandigarh would have its vibrations in Delhi.

“As long as the UPA government implements the common minimum programme and takes care of the priorities, so long it will continue to enjoy the Left’s support and positive cooperation. Any departure from it is bound to result in conflicts,” said the draft political resolution of the party Congress.

Clearly indicating that the CPI is not happy with the functioning of the UPA coalition, it said, at the Centre, while accepting the inevitability of a coalition to share power, many of its leaders and ministers do not accept the ‘coalition dharma’ of consulting other partners and the supporting parties. Their mindsets remain tied to the old understanding and style of work. They function unilaterally and pursue their own policies. All this is contributing to the rise of conflicts and contradictions.’

And the CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan has given clear indication that the UPA coalition cannot take the support of the Left parties as granted.

“We (Left parties) have the right to give a prick or shock treatment whenever the Congress led UPA government, which we support from outside, errs on or deviates from pro-people policies,” he said.

Describing the UPA government as a “bourgeois government”, the draft said the Centre should restrain from following brazen “free market” economic policy, as the people have voted for not only change in government but also a change in the direction of major policies

The party Congress is being held at an important juncture when the Left parties are in a position to influence the course of governance at the Centre and have the track record of the Congress- led UPA government to assess and formulate its future strategy.

With the elections in the Left bastion — West Bengal and Kerala — slated next year and poor performance in Bihar and Jharkhand in the backdrop, the party Congress would provide an opportunity for the CPI to introspect its strategy in the Hindi heartland.

In the backdrop of the Left parties historic performance in the general elections to the 14th Lok Sabha, the party feels that that it would not be able to continue to influence the course of governance in the country, if it does not have a sizable presence in the Hindi belt and western states.

“There are vast tracts of India, where no party unit exits or are very weak. This is especially so in the sprawling Hindi belt and the western states. It is clear that the party cannot act decisively on a national plane when such is the situation,” the draft said, adding that the party should strengthen its mass organisations.

Indicating that the party is open to the idea of an alternative to the Congress and the BJP, the draft said, “The Left should closely watch the developments among these regional parties and have a positive attitude towards those who are breaking away from the NDA.”

Stating that the BJP has been beaten, but not broken and the Congress feels that it is on an upcoming trail and can dictate terms to other parties, the draft said “the CPI and the Left must assess each regional party with care and with an open mind. It is true; initially the CPI has suffered the most with the advent of these caste-based parties in terms of losing a good part of its base. However, we should adjust our attitude towards them looking to the present and future, and keeping the people’s and party’s interest in mind.”

The party congress will also debate on the issue of Communist Unity to meet the challenges. “The question of Communist Unity cannot be ignored for long. It is not as if one party is pleading with the other for unity. It is the political necessity for facing the challenges that face the Indian Communist Movement,” the draft said.