CPM puts govt in dock on Iran

Left will seek support for its nationwide protests from parties outside the UPA, says Karat

The Left parties led by the CPI(M) are preparing for a nationwide protest against foreign direct investment (FDI) in retail and airport privatisation.

CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat told reporters here during the recess of the politburo meeting that it would not confine the protest against the government's "wrong" economic policies to the UPA coordination committee.

"The Union Cabinet took the decision regarding 51 per cent FDI in retail and airport privatisation despite our protest at the coordination committee meeting. We have serious objections to the way such policy decisions are being taken. The government must be thinking that just taking our opinion is enough but this should not be the case. We shall make them understand that," he said.

"The politburo has decided that on issues such as FDI in retail and airport privatisation, we shall seek the support of other political parties within and outside the UPA for forging a joint platform. The joint platform will organise nationwide protests to stall these two anti-people decisions," he said.

Karat pointed out that the UPA government had ignored a note given by the Left parties in this regard.

The politburo demanded that the UPA government take steps to check price rise and strengthen the public distribution system. "The government is saying that inflation is under control but the reality is different," Karat added.

He warned the UPA government that it would be put "in the dock" in Parliament if it insisted on voting for a referral of the Iran nuclear programme to the UN Security Council.

"The Manmohan Singh government has refused to listen to public opinion (on the Iran issue) and the Left parties have decided to demand a debate in the House ahead of the March 6 IAEA board meeting," Karat said.

The politburo took stock of various decisions of the UPA government and decided to review its overall performance, Karat said.

Taking exception to US Ambassador David Mulford writing directly to West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharjee for his remarks against the US President, Karat said the party expected a response from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the issue.

"The US Ambassador does not seem to understand how to behave as an Ambassador in this country. An Ambassador has to behave according to certain norms," Karat said.

Mulford, in the letter, had objected to the chief minister's description of US President George Bush as leader of the "most organised pack of killers", at an election rally on January 8. Mulford had said such remarks would be detrimental in inviting US investors to West Bengal. Karat said Mulford had no business to write to the chief minister directly. "The prime minister has got the chief minister's letter by now. We expect a response from him," Karat said.

Meanwhile, CITU has decided to call a meeting of all trade unions to plan a nationwide movement against the UPA government's "anti-labour" policies, CITU President M K Pandhe, also a politburo member said.

"Such a movement will be launched during the next session of Parliament," Pandhe told reporters at the CPI(M) headquarters, venue of the meeting.

Pandhe said he had been informed that INTUC and BMS had agreed to cooperate with the CITU on launching such a movement. "We are totally opposed to the UPA government's policies with regard to the workers".

About workers' right in the IT sector, Pandhe said, "We are for granting trade union rights to the IT workers. They should have the right to form unions, to do collective bargaining and to go on strikes, if required."