Bardhan dangles 'support withdrawal' sword on UPA govt

Ahmedabad, Aug 19 (UNI) CPI general secretary A B Bardhan today warned that the Left could withdraw its support to the UPA government if it went ahead with the Indo-US nuclear accord, and a midterm poll was a possibility.

Participating in the state-level convention on ''People's Right and Democracy in Gujarat'' at Gujarat Vidyapeeth here, Mr Bardhan said, ''We can withdraw support to the UPA government, if it goes ahead on the N-deal issue.'' If the N-deal between India and US was operationalised, then the country's economic and foreign policy would be controlled by the US and this nation would stand to lose its sovereignty, he added.

To a question, he said the mid-term poll was a possibility.

Today's event was organised by the Lok Sangharsh Morcha to safeguard the rights of tribals and other oppressed sections.

Speaking on the occasion, Lok Sangharsh Morcha national president Ambarish Rai said, ''The whole developmental discourse is confined to corporate and privileged classes. The poor are paying the price of 'Vibrant Gujarat' by losing their land and forest. While millions of displaced are still awaiting their past rehabilitation packages from the state, the Gujarat government is planning to displace another millions of tribals and peasants by the proposed special economic zone (SEZ).'' ''As a result of our struggle, the newly-enacted 'Forest Law 2006' has created a new enthusiasm and hope among tribals, to get legal validity over their unrecognised land existing in their possession till December 13, 2005,'' he said.

But unfortunately, the forest officials and local police were forcibly evicting them from their possessed land, he added.

UNI