RSP withdraws from UPA-Left panel

New Delhi, Jun 2 (UNI) Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), a constituent of the Left parties, today withdrew from the ruling UPA-Left coordination panel to protest the government's all-round failure, particularly on the price front.

"We have decided to withdraw from the UPA-Left coordination committee with immediate effect," said RSP general secretary T J Chandrachoodan at a press conference here after a meeting of the party's central committee.

"This mechanism(panel) has failed to deliver on all fronts; be it Women's Reservation Bill, price rise, inflation or employment," he said, adding the government has also expressed its helplessness to subsidise fuel prices.

Regretting that other Left parties have not responded positively to its appeal to withdraw support from the government, another RSP leader, Mr Abani Roy, said they were left with no alternative but to leave the panel because "we cannot wait perpetually.... enough is enough." Replying to a question, Mr Roy said their decision has nothing to do with the impending Lok Sabha elections as theirs was a small party.

Asked if at any stage RSP could reconsider its decision and again extend support to the UPA government, he said,"There is no question of supporting the Congress." The UPA-Left panel, headed by Congress President Sonia Gandhi, had last met a year ago. It was set up shortly after the formation of the UPA government in May 2004 and has have held 8-9 meetings so far.

The panel was established to monitor the implementation of Common Minimum Programme(CMP) which formed the basis of the Left's outside support to the government. Three other constituents of the Left are the CPI, CPI(M) and Forward Bloc.

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