Left boycotts Alliance meeting

The Communist Party of India (CPI), which was in favour of joining the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, decided to attend the UPA meeting, despite the overwhelming decision of Left parties to stay away from the meeting yesterday.

Though the Left parties were invited over the phone by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi for the meeting, the red-brigade decided to stay away, since the meeting "was mainly for the UPA members".

The Left parties had decided to skip the "UPA show" and prepare for the meeting of "Left-UPA-government coordination committee" on August 25, sources said.

The Left parties, which have been fighting for the hike in Employees Provident Fund (EPF) rates and protesting against the Centre's move to increase the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) cap in certain sectors, also decided to "ignore" the meeting of the UPA, since these issues were not on the agenda.

The Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) general secretary, Harkishen Singh Surjeet said: "The forthcoming meeting of the coordination committee is far more important. Issues relating to working-class will be discussed in that meeting. We were of the opinion that this meeting of the UPA was not important."

However, the CPI was the only Left party which decided to respond to Sonia's invitation. "We are attending the meeting," the CPI national secretary, D. Raja was categorical. When reminded that other Left parties were not attending the meeting, Raja refused to reply. CPI general secretary, A.B.Bardhan and Raja attended the UPA meet.

However, CPI trade union leader and MP, Gurudas Dasgupta met the prime minister yesterday to protest against oil price hike and other issues including EPF rates and FDI.

The Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) leader and member of the coordination committee, Abani Roy, also made it clear that there was "no need for the Left parties to attend such meetings."

While Roy refused to comment on the CPI's move to ignore the Left decision, Surjeet disclosed that the CPI brass had asked him, whether they could attend the meeting. "They asked me whether it was okay to go. What do I say. I said its all right, if they want to attend the meeting," Surjeet said.

Asked whether the CPI was giving any indication of joining the government, the old CPI(M) warhorse, laughed, "no no, I don't think anybody is joining the government."

On another front, former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee has opted out of the Parliamentary Standing Committee of External Affairs. His name was reportedly given by the BJP parliamentary committee without consulting him.

"Not too happy" over the party's move, Vajpayee pointed out that none of the former prime ministers, H.D. Deve Gowda and Chandrashekhar, who were sitting members of Lok Sabha, was member of any of the Standing Committees. Vajpayee's name was given by the BJP chief whip in the Lok Sabha, Santosh Gangwar and and Deputy leader in the House, V.K. Malhotra, sources said.

© The Asian Age