CPM general-secretary Prakash Karat had said that the government would have to face serious consequences if it went ahead with the nuclear deal.
Karat's meet with PM fails to break nuclear deal deadlock
CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat on Monday parried questions on whether veteran Marxist leaders Jyoti Basu and Harkishan Singh Surjeet would continue in the politburo, but said he favoured "an early retirement policy". "We will decide on that in this Congress," he said when he was asked the question.
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.
Karat had on Thursday said the vice-president should be a person who has an exemplary record in some field and should have the widest acceptance.
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."
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.
CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat and Politburo members Sitaram Yechury, S Ramachandran Pillai and R Umanath are expected to attend the meeting on Saturday.
On the sidelines of the high political drama on the elusive consensus among the UPA constituents on the presidential candidate, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury quietly managed to break the three-day strike by the employees of Indian.
Left party leaders hoped that a decision will be taken by Friday.
The UPA has decided not to sell its shares in BHEL.
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.
He said the penetration of US policies was evident in sectors like education and other key areas besides in the economic policies of the country.
Strongly condemning the Israeli attacks, he said the campaign was a continuation of the Jewish state's "war and genocide against the Palestinian people" and it has the full backing of the US and other imperialists.
Amid reports of the Left taking tougher stand on the Indo-US nuclear deal, CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat on Tuesday held an hour-long meeting with Telugu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu.
Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat on Saturday denied reports that he had threatened elections on the issue of the Indo-US nuclear deal and felt such reports in recent days were an attempt to create an "atmosphere of insecurity" about the Centre.
The Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat on Friday said the Left parties were making efforts to form a Third Front as an alternative to both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party although he did not spell out a time frame.
The CPM argued that though the Kolkatta high court order asking the Central Bureau of Investigation was judicially not correct, it will not contest the order.
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.
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.
The Left parties will not allow the India-United States nuclear deal to move forward and will continue its support to the United Progressive Alliance government so long as it sticks to the Common Minimum Programme, Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Prakash Karat said on Thursday.
CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat admitted that differences did exist between the allies and said, "We are trying to reach a consensus."
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 Saturday said that the time has come for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance leadership to "decide and tell people whether it would abide by the commitment to the US or to the Common Minimum Programme.
Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday ruled out the possibility of his party supporting the Third Front to form the government.
BJP wants CPM to vote against the deal in Parliament
The Left and SP, along with TDP, have held consultations on the issue.
The ensuing assembly elections in four states besides a host of issues, including the airport privatisation, Iran and Foreign Direct Investment in the retail sector, would figure prominently at the meet.
They will also demand a review of strategic aspects of Indo-US relations in Parliament.
'The political viability and the strength of this government depends on how it sustains and expands its popular support.'
Karat demanded that the UPA categorically spell out its stand on the International Atomic Energy Agency meeting, with regard to the Iran nuclear issue.
The Left has said the amendments will make the RTI useless.
Is the CPI-M willing to acknowledge that its cadres were involved in the violent incidents in Nandigram?
President Kalam's term ends on July 25, 2007, and the new president has to be sworn in by then.
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