The Hindu : Front Page : CPI(M) gives six suggestions

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Thursday, May 27, 2004

Front Page

Front Page

CPI(M) gives six suggestions

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MAY 26. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Tuesday forwarded suggestions on six broad perspectives for inclusion in the Common Minimum Programme of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). These suggestions, adopted by the CPI(M) Polit Bureau at its meeting in Kolkata, were on issues such as communalisation, economic and social issues and foreign policy.

Ahead of the meeting of the UPA, the four Left parties met here and felt that there should be a formal mechanism for coordination between the UPA and the Left parties, since the latter was not part of the formation. By endorsing an "acceptable'' CMP, the Left parties would ensure that while its views found reflection in the document, the parties would not be bound to accept everything, since there could be several areas on which there would be no agreement.

Expressing the views of the CPI(M), the Polit Bureau member, Prakash Karat, told correspondents here that they knew that there were several parties in the coalition and that they had to work together. "We will reserve some differences for later but that does not stop us from showing our opposition on certain issues."

For instance, he said, the CPI(M) could not accept any proposal for the formation of new States by breaking up existing States formed on the linguistic principle. This, in effect, was against the prime demand made by the Telengana Rashtra Samiti for a separate Telangana.

"The CMP would give the broad direction to the UPA. We have made our contribution to the CMP and since we are not part of the UPA, we would suggest a mechanism for implementation of the programme,'' Mr. Karat said.

The CPI(M) has made six suggestions from "broad perspectives'' such as reversing the communalisation process, economic policies that make a break with some of the most harmful policies of the Vajpayee Government in several areas, basic needs and social issues, Centre-State relations, foreign policy and democratic rights.

For instance, in the sphere of economic policies, the CPI(M) suggested that land reforms be included and that there be a clear commitment not to privatise profitable public sector undertakings. It also deleted the reference to public-private partnership.

The CPI(M) also suggested the adoption of a universal public distribution system instead of the present targeted system, and that till the employment guarantee act is put into place there should be a food-for-work programme.

The party disagreed with the recommendation in the draft CMP of setting up a second commission to go into Centre-State relations and instead suggested that States be given debt-relief, including debt-swapping and write-off, lowering interest rates on loans to States and increasing the share of Central taxes of the States to 33 per cent as an immediate step.

The party also had reservations about the foreign policy and the stand on the WTO. The emphasis on WTO, it said, should be on renegotiating the terms to correct the imbalances to ensure that national interests of Indian agriculture were protected.

On foreign policy, the CPI(M) suggested a break with the BJP-Government's policy to make it an independent foreign policy detached from the strategic plans of the United States promoting multi-polarity. It also asserted that in the sphere of democratic rights, steps should be taken to reverse policies which curbed or infringed on the rights of the citizens and the right of working people to protest.

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