Left to take tough decision against government on May 23

New Delhi, May 11 (UNI) The Left parties, under pressure from the rank and file, will take "some appropriate action" on May 23 against the Manmohan Singh government for its total failure to curb inflation, insistance on executing the Indo-US nuclear deal and to disinvest as many as 24 profit making PSUs.

"The Left parties at their joint meeting here on May 23 will discuss the issue in the context of people's growing discontent and indignation and take some hard decisions," CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said here.

At a press conference on the conclusion of the two-day party National Executive meeting, where Party Deputy General Secretary S Sudhakar Reddy and National Secretary D Raja were also present, Mr Bardhan, however, refused to divulge the possible hard decision saying that he could not do so as the decision had to be a joint one.

The CPI Gen Secy, however, sought to downplay the differences between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Left over the introduction of Women Reservation Bill in the Rajya Sabha. In a reply to a specific question that the SP had blamed the Left for not taking it into confidence on the issue, Mr Bardhan said that the SP being an independent party, can take an independent position.

On the ongoing anti-price agitation, the CPI leader informed that the Central Trade unions will hold a National Convention here on Tuesday to voice their protest against the government's failure to tackle price rise and other related issues.

Mr Bardhan, the veteran communist and freedom fighter, informed that more than 10 million signatures, in a form of petition to Parliament, collected by the AITUC, Trade Unions will be submitted to Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee here tomorrow.

"This is a part of our countrywide anti-price agitation to pressurise the government to accept our demands- a ban on futures trading in 24 items of food grains, strengthening of the PDS, further amending the Essential Commodities Act to pave way for dehoarding from the private traders among others," Mr Bardhan said.

Referring to the soaring inflation touching 7.61 per cent, the CPI leader contested Finance Minister P Chidambaram's statement that this is statistically not significant. "But he should not forget that even the slightest increase in inflation deepens the misery of the people." On Nuclear pact, the CPI leader asserted that there is no change in his party's and other Left parties stand on the issue. "We will not allow the deal in its present form based on the 123 agreement." In a reply to a specific query on former President A P J Abdul Kalam's observation that India should go ahead with the nuclear deal as it does not compromise sovereignty, Mr Bardhan quipped, "there are others who have also a world of wisdom on the issue.

After weighing the both, we have found that our opposition to the deal is right." UNI KSA PY RP KN1745