The mistake the enemies of the deal in India and the US are making is to seek satisfaction over their own wish list.
"The politburo wishes to point out that the UPA was formed to keep communal forces at bay. By taking such a step and the political consequences thereafter, that purpose will be undermined. We appeal to the partners of the Congress in the UPA to ensure that no such step is taken, which will help the communal forces," Karat said.
Making it clear that the Left would not budge from its firm stand, CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat said to 'Kairali' TV channel, "We will not compromise, if they go ahead with the strategic alliance with the US. If they go ahead to fulfil their word with President Bush, for 40 years this agreement will bind India. It will affect our independent foreign policy. We cannot accept that.
After its drubbing in West Bengal in the recent Lok Sabha elections, the state unit of CPI-M today began a two-day meeting to analyse reasons behind its poor performance in the Left Front-ruled state.
Whole-timers, who form the backbone of the party, are more difficult to get nowadays, admits the CPI-M. Although the party membership has increased in the past few years along with its might in national politics (it has 43 Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha), the CPI-M has conceded its problems of a continuing high attrition rate. The rate of attrition from the party is as high as 7.5 per cent. In other words, for every 200 members, 15 members are leaving the party.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has said the attack by the Bharatiya Janata Party workers and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on the party headquarters in New Delhi will be raised in Parliament on Monday. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, party general secretary Prakash Karat said, "What is worse is that the local leaders of BJP and RSS were leading the mob which threw boulders and stones on our national party headquarters in New Delhi."
The Left has said the amendments will make the RTI useless.
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has warned the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government at the Centre that it will face countrywide protests if it hikes petrol and diesel prices.
The UPA-Left committee on the nuclear deal will meet on November 16.
What does the prime minister's position on the nuclear deal mean? What does the Congress want from the issue? What does the Left stand to gain? Sheela Bhatt explains.
He will seek to finalise a coordination committee between the alliance and Left parties by Sunday.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Karat dismissed a suggestion that the CPI (M) considered the EC as its 'enemy.'
CPI(M) ups ante against UPA; decides to form joint platform
They will also demand a review of strategic aspects of Indo-US relations in Parliament.
UPA-Left coordination committee meeting on Feb 13
"We will observe January 24 as anti-imperialism day and the campaign will culminate in a big protest meeting at New Delhi and other parts of the country during Mr Bush's visit," he told a press conference in Hyderabad.
After the Centre's announcement that Maharashtra will get a French-built nuclear power plant, West Bengal could be the next in line for this central gift. But there is a problem: The plant is likely to be American-built. So, the Left-ruled government in the state is thinking if it wants to give land for a reactor built by the Americans.
The Left parties will oppose opening of the retail sector to Foreign Direct Investment when they meet United Progrssive Alliance leaders at a meeting of the coordination committee to be held after a gap of four months on October 27
President Kalam's term ends on July 25, 2007, and the new president has to be sworn in by then.
A convention would be held in Delhi at the end of October on the issue of foreign policy, he added. \n
Reaching out to the ruling party in Uttar Pradesh, which has 17 MPs in the Lok Sabha, Communist Party of India-Marxist General Secretary Prakash Karat drove to the Uttar Pradesh chief minister's residence in New Delhi to hold the first meeting after the Left parties withdrew support to the United Progressive Alliance government over the nuclear deal.
Addressing a press conference after a two-day Politbureau meeting, party general secretary Prakash Karat said this was also the understanding of the other Left parties on Article 356, which provides for imposition of Central rule.
When asked if it would not be good for farmers as they would be rid of an anti-farmer government, CPI general secretary A B Bardhan said that the farmers would continue to die as there would be nobody to save them.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist on Tuesday said the Left parties would not withdraw support to the United Progressive Alliance government.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist politburo meeting, which began in Kolkata on Tuesday, did not discuss party partriach Jyoti Basu's desire to quit from the highest decision-making forum due to ill-health and age.
Karat said, "We feel such an alliance is not in our interest in view of the double standard of the US government." He, however, emphasised for a good economic and political relationship with America.
In a fresh ultimatum, the CPI(M) has threatened mid-term polls to Lok Sabha if the government goes ahead with IAEA talks beyond December.
A group of Indian-American community leaders are planning to travel to New Delhi and convince the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Left Front to accept the deal as it is in the best interests of both countries. "Many of us are planning a trip to New Delhi in November to meet leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpai, L K Advani, Brajesh Mishra, Prakash Karat and others to exchange ideas," said chairman of the Dallas based US-India Forum, Ashok Mago.
The Left Front will block every measure of economic reform so dear to the prime minister's heart.
Govt 'will have to repent' if India repeated the vote against Iran, the Left parties said.
The Left has never been comfortable with Kalam and had even put up the late Captain Lakshmi Sehgal when the NDA sought to make him a consensus candidate in 2002 and the Congress had no option left but to support him.
He also asked the government to spell out its stand on the voting on the Iran nuclear issue at the IAEA board meeting next month.
The CPI (M), ruling in West Bengal and Kerala, has strongly advocated for trade unions in the BPO- IT sector but will not favour forced closures during strikes and bandhs.
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