New Delhi, November 22
It was a lesson from the fatherland for the Indian Communists, which they did not expect. Chinese President Hu Jintao today asked the Left leaders to adopt a “more pragmatic” approach, as this is the era of globalisation that provides immense scope for economic prosperity.
A day after New Delhi and Beijing decided to boost ties in commercial, political and strategic areas, Mr Jintao told a delegation of Left leaders that called on him here that both countries should enhance “mutual trust” to surge ahead in a globalised world.
Globalisation provides scope for economic prosperity, and a “more pragmatic and positive approach” must be adopted by the Left to develop infrastructure and the economy, he told the leaders.
The Left parties have often drawn flak from the Congress and other parties for their strident posture on issues like privatisation, and some sections of the government have even termed their actions as roadblocks in the path of development.
Observing that Sino-India ties are strengthening, Mr Jintao also favoured increase in “political interaction” between the neighbours in tandem with cooperation in other fields to boost all-round relations.
The Left leaders, on their part, urged the Chinese President to set up study groups in agriculture to understand the rapid progress made by China in the field.
The leaders, who met the Chinese President, included CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat, Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury, CPI’s A.B. Bardhan and S. Sudhakar Reddy and Forward Bloc’s Debabrata Biswas and G. Devarajan.
Later, after a meeting of the parliamentary wings of the four Left parties, they once again raked up the issue of Indo-US civilian nuclear deal and fresh guarantee in Parliament from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that the assurance given earlier would be kept.
CPM leader Sitaram Yechury told reporters that the Left would want the government to once again guarantee that the assurances given by the Prime Minister in the Rajya Sabha on the nuclear deal would be kept. The government should keep Parliament updated on the developments in the matter.
They also decided to jointly demand reduction in petrol and diesel prices, seek a debate on the prevailing agrarian crisis in the country and demand amendments to the rules and laws governing the special economic zones (SEZs).
Mr Yechury said they would also seek a review of the implementation of the prestigious National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
