West Asian crisis, nuke pact to dominate Polit Bureau meet

New Delhi, July 29: The ongoing crisis in West Asia, the Indo-US nuclear deal, the Office of Profit issue and sky-rocketing prices of essential commodities are likely to dominate the proceedings at the two-day meet of the CPI(M) Polit Bureau, which began here today.

The crucial meeting will also finalise the party strategy to oppose the government's move to privatise some operations of the nationalised banks and the attempts to bring about three controversial bills- the Pension Bill, on reform of labour laws and of the banking sector among other things.

The meeting, being held at the party headquarters A K Gopalan Bhawan -- is being attended by party General Secretary Praksh Karat, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Kerala chief Minister V S Achhutanandan as well as MPs Sitaram Yechury and Brinda Karat.

Party veteran and former WB Chief Minister Jyoti Basu could not attend due to pre-engagements, while continued ill-health prevented another veteran and former General Secretary H S Surjeet from participating.

Even though an official briefing is likely to take place tomorrow, the CPI(M) Polit Bureau meeting is taking at a time when the UPA government is being rapped by the Left for its failure on various fronts -- internal security, terrorism, galloping inflation, and the deepening agrarian crisis leading to farmers' suicides particularly in the Vidarbha region in Maharashtra despite the PM's visit and announcment of a package.

During the lunch break, Mr Achhutanandan, when approached, declined to comment. ''My government is doing fine on all fronts,'' he told UNI.

WB Left Front Chairman Biman Bose, who was visibly annoyed with the media for its portrayal of the differences among the Left parties on the House resolution on the Indo-US deal, told newspersons that the Communists could also ''outwit'' the members of the Fourth Estate.

''You are born to create debates.. . We are born to outwit the media,'' he quipped.

UNI