UPA should come out of US diktats : Bhattacharjee

Kolkata, Sep 20 (UNI) West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today called upon the Congress-led UPA not to succumb to US pressure and come out of its influence in foreign and economic policies.

'' We do not want India to be a junior partner of the US. We want our country not to yield to the US pressure on economic and foreign policies. This we have been telling the Manmohan Singh government, '' he said at a meeting of the Students Federation of India, the student's wing of the CPI(M).

Alleging that the US was dictating the UPA government to toe its policies, Mr Bhattacharjee said this was against the anti-US voice raised throughout the world. '' Eve in Havana similar voice against America was raised, '' he said.

'' The weak and pro-US policies of the Centre are responsible for our country lagging behind countries like China in economic growth and advancement, '' he said.

The Chief Minister said though his party was aware of the pro-rich character of the Congress-led coaltion, it was under compulsion to extend outside support to it, though it would raise voice against the pro-US policies whenever needed.

'' We know the Congress is a party of the rich and that it will not be able to work for the interest of the poor. But we are compelled to support it under certain circumstances, '' he said.

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