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Friday, Sep 09, 2005

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Bardhan hits out at Congress

Special Correspondent

"UPA existing only at national level"

Photo: Ranjeet Kumar

A.B. Burdhan addressing a press conference in Patna on Thursday.

PATNA: Communist Party of India (CPI) general secretary A.B. Bardhan on Thursday criticised the Congress for its "politics of threats, intimidation and ultimatums." He warned that if the Lok Jan Shakti Party (LJP) leader and Steel Minister, Ram Vilas Paswan, was shown the door, the United Progressive Alliance would be weakened.

Talking to reporters after a meeting with party functionaries here, Mr. Bardhan said the UPA existed only at the national level and there had been no talk of having any arrangements among the constituents in States. He felt that it would be better to allow each constituent to chart its own plans at the State level, and appealed to the Congress to desist from taking any "wrong action" vis-à-vis the LJP. (He was referring to the Congress setting September 23 as the deadline for the LJP to decide whether it wanted to join the RJD-led UPA in the coming Bihar polls.

The CPI would not rock the UPA boat even if the Congress stuck to its ultimatum to the LJP and parted ways with Mr. Paswan. "As a supporter, we want the UPA to continue. At the same time, we hope that the Congress would stop issuing ultimatums," Mr. Bardhan said. He opposed any action against Mr. Paswan saying that it would set a precedent for throwing out those not agreeing with the Congress.

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