Tamil Nadu: CPI to asses UPA's performance

Pudukkottai, Mar 3: The CPI will assess the UPA government's performance before deciding its future course of action, party national secretary D Raja said. The Party's 20th Congress to be held at Hyderabad from March 23 to 27 would also evaluate the political developments in the last three years, Mr D Raja told newspersons here on Mar 2.

He said CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, RSP general secretary T J Chandrachoodan and All India Forward Bloc general secretary Debabrata Biswas would address the Congress.

Delegates from China, Korea, Cuba, Vietnam, France, Portugal, Italy, Greece, US, Brazil, Venezuela and Russia would attend the Congress.

Communist leaders from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Pakistan would also be present.

Criticising the UPA government's foreign and economic policies, Mr Raja said there was an increasing influence of the US on nation's foreign and economic policies.

On Union Budget, he said the Budget still echoed the neo-liberal economic policies, which had brought all the disasters in Indian economy.

''The UPA government has totally failed to control the price rise. It has not done anything to strengthen the public distribution system,'' he alleged.

Mr Raja said the CPI would strive for an alternative to the policies pursued by the BJP and the Congress.

To a question, he said the party's campaign, demanding early completion of Sethusamudram Shipping Channel Project would continue.

UNI