Left seek written assurance on FDI, foriegn policy

New Delhi, June 14: The Left parties today submitted an exhaustive note to the government ahead of tomorrow's UPA-Left Coordination Committee meeting, soliciting ''written assurances'' on the issues of FDI in retail, foreign policy and social security for unorganised workers in order to pin down the Congress-led coalition on the specifics.

The comprehensive note running into nine pages, which also contains key areas of differences between the two, was submitted to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this afternoon.

A copy of the note was also given to Congress chief and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

''We want issue-to-issue debate and clinch it as well. No more hanky-panky business,'' CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan told UNI.

CPI(M) senior leader Nilotpal Basu said the contents of the note would be the basis of deliberations at the UPA-Left Coordination Committee meeting to be held at the Prime Minister's official residence tomorrow evening.

The note was finalised at a joint meeting of the Left parties - CPI(M), CPI, Forward Bloc and the RSP - yesterday morning.

Left leaders said the note highlighted pending promises on the the Women's Reservation Bill, Unorganised Workers' Bill and the Bill for the welfare of tribals besides disagreement on the agrarian crisis, disinvestment, the decision to open up retail trade to foreign companies and the attempts to allow foreign banks to pick up stakes in private doemstic banks.

''We want a written response from the UPA governmentm,'' Mr Bardhan said.

On specific areas of differences, the veteran Communist leader said the Left parties did not agree with the foreign policy pursued by the Congress-led coalition. Secondly, the way the government had ''betrayed'' the airport employees on the modernisation of 35 non-metro airprots is also a matter of ''serious concern'', he added. CPI National Secretart Shamim Faizi said to please the United States, the Centre had allowed single brand FDI in retail and opened up the financial sector for foreign investors.

The Left leaders warned that the government should not test their patience by ''continuously deviating'' from the document of governance, seeking the exact time frame to implement the provisions in the Common Minimum Programme in letter and spirit.

Forward Bloc National Secretary G Devrajan said the Left parties were also ''upset and angry'' with the Centre for its ''failure'' to check the exorbitant prices of essential commodities like atta, pulses, vegetables and cement.

''The government has also failed to combat communalism as can be seen in the recent riots in Vadodara in Gujarat and other places.

Indeed it has not shown any political will in this regard,'' Mr Devrajan added.

In response to a query if the support of the non-Congress, non-BJP parties - SP, TDP, AGP, RLD, AGP and JD (S) - to the Left agitation against increase in fuel prices can be treated as a ''trial of the Third Front'', the Left leaders said the development would have no impact on the national political scene ''for the time being''.

Ruling out a nationwide general strike on the fuel prices, the left leaders said they were surely gearing up to support the proposed All-India action by the trade unions that could lead to a general strike in September.

The trade unions are protesting against the rising inflation, failure to correct the Consumer Price Index affecting the Dearness Allowance and the threat of certain legislations amending the labour laws and the pension scheme.

UNI

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