The Hindu : National : Budget must reflect Left's views: Yechury

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Thursday, Feb 24, 2005

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Budget must reflect Left's views: Yechury

By Our Special Correspondent

MALAPPURAM, FEB. 23. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) Polit Bureau member, Sitaram Yechury, has said the Left expected the Union Budget of the United Progressive Alliance Government to reflect the aspirations of the Left as enunciated in the Common Minimum Programme (CMP).

Mr. Yechury told a news conference here today that the Left coordination committee and the UPA would hold a meeting in New Delhi on Thursday to discuss the proposals the Left had submitted to the Government for inclusion in the Budget. "We are primarily interested in implementation of the promises given in the CMP and there is no question of our accepting any attempt to dilute the promises," he said.

Government cautioned

The CPI (M) leader said the Left would protest if the Government did not respond positively to its proposals and cautioned the Manmohan Singh Government against taking its views lightly. The proposals placed before the Government were on key sectors of the economy and call for an additional allocation of Rs. 50,000 crores. The Left had also given suggestions on how such resources could be mobilised. It was now for the Government to show its sincerity in implementing the promises in the CMP, he said.

To a question on the Left's watchdog role in the current dispensation at the Centre, Mr. Yechury hoped that the Government would not force it to bite. "We hope the Government will not force us into the protest mode," he said.

The Congress was making a big mistake if it believed that it could do whatever it wanted on the policy front as it did not have to face any major electoral challenge from the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies till 2007. However, it would be under scrutiny by the people and would be taught a lesson if it failed to live up to its promises, he added.

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