One-day CPM PB meeting to discuss price rise, other issues

Kolkata, Apr 29 (UNI) A day-long meeting of the Polit Bureau began here today to follow up the decisions of the 19th party Congress and fine tune its stand on industrialisation.

The meeting would also discuss various national issues, including spiralling prices of essential commodities and the performance of the Congress-led UPA Government.

All the members, including General Secretary Prakash Karat and party veteran Jyoti Basu, who has been made a special invitee, are present at the meeting, being held for the first time after the Coimbatore party congress.

With the venue being selected to facilitate the presence of Mr Basu, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Kerala Chief Minister V Achutanandan and his Tripura counterpart Manik Sarkar are among others present at the meeting.

The others include new entrants Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, CITU General Secretary Mohammad Amin and West Bengal Industry Minister Nirupam Sen.

According to party sources, today's meeting would basically follow up the decisions of the party congress on organisational issues, including distribution of responsibilities of the members of the new Polit Bureau and formation of new committees.

Faced with the charge of double standard on the party's stand on land acquisition and industrialization in the Left-ruled states and in the rest of the country, the Polit Bureau is likely to incorporate in its resolution the amendments put up by a section of delegates at the 19th party congress in Coimbatore, who had wanted a uniform policy.

''The Polit Bureau has considered some of the amendments which will be incorporated in the political resolution,'' party sources said.

Pointing at the different ground realities in various states, the political organisational report placed at the last party congress had stressed on understanding the role played by the CPI (M)-led governments and the constraints they were facing.

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