Centre's credibility eroding fast : Left

New Delhi, June 7 (UNI) Observing that the UPA government's credibility was eroding fast due to its anti-people policies, the Left parties today claimed that they were making every effort to provide a viable alternative to the Congress and the BJP at the Centre.

They were also unhappy with the obvious confrontation between the ''two sets of policies and programmes'' being pursued by the so-called 'economic wizards' led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and the ''strict implementaiton'' of the Common Minimum Programme, led by a section of the Congress.

In separate interviews to UNI on a wide range of political and economic issues facing the nation, the leaders of the CPI, CPI(M) and Forward Bloc said they were at present engaged in uniting secular and democratic forces to develop a ''viable economic and political alternative''.

They also expressed dissatisfaction with the 'infighting'' between the Congress and NCP in Maharashtra over the support to Independent candidate for Rajya Sabha Rahul Bajaj. The differences between the state and central leadership on joining the DMK government in Tamil Nadu were other developments which were causing concern.

On ''sharpening'' confrontation at the Centre, CPI leaders A B Bardhan and Shamim Faizi said, ''On the one hand, the UPA chairperson and the Left allies are insisting on a strict adherence to the CMP, while on the other, the Manmohan Singh government wants to carry forward the economic reforms as dictated by the World Bank and the IMF.'' The confrontation was becoming more and more obvious as the government was out to proceed with certain ''unpopular decisions'' like pruning subsidy, banking, insurance and pension reforms, and disinvesting the PSUs, latest being the Neyveli Lignite Corporation, the CPI leaders said.

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