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Left not a veto on everything: Karat

Special Correspondent

"We have shifted the `whole terrain of political debate" "At no time has the CPI(M) and the Left been able to influence policies at the national level to the extent that is happening today... "

Prakash Karat

NEW DELHI: The Left parties were able to influence policies at the national level like never before and shift the "whole terrain of political debate" in the country, Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat has said.

In the past two-year rule of the United Progressive Alliance, he said the CPI (M) and other Left parties had intervened on a number of issues and stopped the Government from going ahead with certain decisions.

"At no time has the CPI (M) and the Left been able to influence policies at the national level to the extent that is happening today. Take foreign policy; BJP leader L.K. Advani says the Left should have no say in foreign policy and security matters but we are intervening in foreign policy matter... We have shifted the whole terrain of political debate in the country and the issues that have come up to the bread and butter issues, the real issues of the people, and we have shown that on every question we give no quarters,'' Mr. Karat said in a programme on the CNN-IBN, a press release said.

He said in the last two years had the Left not raised questions on a number of issues, the Government would have gone ahead and taken decisions.

For instance, he said, the Government opened up Foreign Direct Investment in retail in single brand category.

"But I don't think they will be able to open up further in FDI in retail without a wider political agreement and consensus... and the experience is [that] on all matters where they require parliamentary support to pass legislation they have not been able to do so without support or consent of the Left... ''

Mr. Karat said the Left was the "sentinel" of people's interest and it wanted the Government to do better in certain areas.

It also wanted the Government to know that the Left parties were not happy with certain things.

The CPI (M) general secretary, however, made it clear that the Left did not intend to pull down the Government.

"We don't intend to function as a veto on everything and pull down the Government — you either accept what we say or we pull down this government. Then the Government would not have lasted six months."

He said the Left parties supported the Government knowing that there were basic differences.

But the Common Minimum Programme should be implemented.

On issues such as Employees Provident Fund interest rate, FDI and modernisation of airports, where the UPA Government has its own plans despite the Left concerns, Mr. Karat said politically the Left had made it clear that these were its views and wanted the Government to consider them.

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