Yechury: We can pull down the govt

Watch senior Politburo member Sitaram Yechuri at his vitriolic best tonight on TV.

The BBC's HARDtalk India will be featuring the 55-year-old Communist Party of India-Marxist member on Friday evening, who appears to have lived up to the programme's prefix, raising some "serious reservations" about the country's new government.

In the hour-long interview, he warns Left-wing parties could soon "stop barking and start biting," adding that the United Progressive Alliance government should not take their support for granted.

He says his party may even try to bring down the government. "We will not be responsible for the fall of the government, but the government has to ensure that they themselves are not responsible for their fall. If they are not sincere about implementing what they themselves have agreed in the Common Minimum Programme, yes, that situation will arise. Unfortunately, I hope they won't learn it the hard way because when we bite, we bite very strongly."

In the interview, he has even set an ultimatum when asked by the interviewer how close the Commies were to "biting". His reply "" "Well, let us see what they will do with all these proposals under contention now. Because, in the next couple of weeks, decisions will have to be taken."

The young Turk of CPM fires all cylinders when he says his party is essentially performing the function of a watchdog. "And when watchdogs give the warning, the owners must take it seriously," he thunders.

Yechury then switches ranks to talk about the Budget and says the Left parties will go all out to oppose the government if it tries to amend the Insurance Regulatory Development Act. "The Budget promises that this law will be changed to allow a greater amount of foreign investment in the insurance industry. We will vote against this particular policy of our own government," he points out.

Afterwards, he goes on to describe the government's plans to disinvest 5 per cent of the shares in the NTPC as a "breach" of its policy agenda. "We consider it a breach of the common minimum programme, and we have told the government as much. But they have said it's only 5 per cent of the shares. I mean, we're not talking in terms of quantum; we're talking about principle."

Pressed further, pat comes Yechuri's repartee, "These are serious reservations. When we speak, we are serious. There are going to be public protests; the trade unions are going to take this up. On the streets, there will be protests. And, yes, we will raise this in Parliament, and if the occasion permits, then we shall also vote against it."