Front Page   

Manmohan's stand positive: Left

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MAY 20. The Left parties today welcomed the observations of the Prime Minister-designate, Manmohan Singh, on political and economic issues but preferred to wait till the United Progressive Alliance comes out with a common minimum programme. "The direction which Dr. Singh has indicated is in line with the electoral results but the concrete part will come out when the CMP is finalised. He has set a positive tone but all this is before the framing of the CMP and taking the oath of office,'' said the Communist Party of India (Marxist) Politburo member, Sitaram Yechury. He welcomed Dr. Singh's assurance of providing a "human face" to economic reforms and observations on various socio-political issues, including Gujarat.

Terming Dr. Singh's observations at the press conference earlier in the day as "balanced on the whole," the Communist Party of India national secretary, Atul Kumar Anjaan, said that what had been presented so far was a broad sketch of the CMP. Dr. Singh's accent on increasing agriculture production, improving the lot of the peasantry, protecting workers' rights, modernising the country and safeguarding the public sector in the strategic sphere would "generate confidence in the economy." However, Mr. Anjaan said the CPI was waiting for a closer look at the CMP.

Mr. Yechury said the CMP had been delayed due to the unusual situation that had emerged with the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, declining to become prime minister and the main architect of the CMP being pitch-forked to the Prime Minister's chair. "Right now, the immediate priority is taking the oath of office. We expect to receive the main points of the proposed CMP after that.''

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

• `We will focus on the poor'
• Manmohan's stand positive: Left
• Lobbying on for Cabinet berths
• Sensex stabilises
• MS back home
• Hindujas' plea upheld
• Telgi brought to Delhi
• Monsoon in two days
• PIL against Sushma, Naqvi

Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu