07-17-2008, 01:57 AM
<b>Cong will pay heavy price in coming elections: Karat</b>
Chennai (PTI): Accusing the Congress of joining hands with "some opportunist elements" to save itself in the July 22 vote of confidence in the Parliament, CPM General Secretary, Prakash Karat, on Wednesday said the party will pay a heavy price in the coming elections.
"People will not only punish the Congress in the elections" for joining hands with opportunist elements but also betraying them on the Common Minimum Programme (CMP)," he said at a public meeting here organised to explain the Left parties' stand behind withdrawing their support to Congress-led UPA government at the Centre over the Indo-US nuclear deal.
He flayed the parties which have pledged their support to the Congress in the confidence vote, after having opposed the nuclear deal earlier.
"These elements that had been claiming the Indo-US nuclear deal to be a disaster to the nation, found virtue overnight in the deal," Karat said in an apparent reference to Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party.
The SP, which had been opposing nuclear deal, extended its support to UPA government in the wake of Left's pullout after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh decided to go ahead with the operationalisation of the deal.
Karat also sought to remind Congress that the UPA Government had "credibility" only because of the Left parties' support to it.
Describing the Congress as a "sinking ship", Karat asked his "friends" in the UPA to "jump off the ship as quickly as possible and join the Left" to fight against communal forces.
"We can form an alternative force to both the Congress and the BJP," he said.
"We are not worried about the outcome of the confidence vote," Karat said, adding that the Left's struggle against the UPA will continue.
"Even if they win the confidence vote, we will continue our struggle against the nuclear deal issue and UPA's anti-people policies by taking them to the people," he said.
Flaying Congress' pro-US stand, Karat said the Left had supported UPA only to keep the BJP away from coming to power since Congress had also claimed to be against communal forces.
"But you cannot fight against BJP sitting in the lap of the US as the BJP is known for its pro-US policies," he warned.
Justifying their withdrawal of support to the UPA, Karat said the government was pursuing "neo-liberal policies" resulting in problems like inflation, price rise, unemployment and even farmers' suicides.
CPI national General Secretary D Raja said the Congress had lost all moral ground, and had no locus standi in accusing the Left of helping BJP by withdrawing their support to the former and voting against it in the confidence motion.
"Congress is taking India on the wrong path", he said.
Accusing Prime Minister's Office of becoming a "lobby" of corporates, Raja, in an apparent reference to Ambani brothers's spat knocking the PMO's doors, said, "Prime Minister himself is involved in compromising disputes between corporate companies."
Chennai (PTI): Accusing the Congress of joining hands with "some opportunist elements" to save itself in the July 22 vote of confidence in the Parliament, CPM General Secretary, Prakash Karat, on Wednesday said the party will pay a heavy price in the coming elections.
"People will not only punish the Congress in the elections" for joining hands with opportunist elements but also betraying them on the Common Minimum Programme (CMP)," he said at a public meeting here organised to explain the Left parties' stand behind withdrawing their support to Congress-led UPA government at the Centre over the Indo-US nuclear deal.
He flayed the parties which have pledged their support to the Congress in the confidence vote, after having opposed the nuclear deal earlier.
"These elements that had been claiming the Indo-US nuclear deal to be a disaster to the nation, found virtue overnight in the deal," Karat said in an apparent reference to Mulayam Singh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party.
The SP, which had been opposing nuclear deal, extended its support to UPA government in the wake of Left's pullout after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh decided to go ahead with the operationalisation of the deal.
Karat also sought to remind Congress that the UPA Government had "credibility" only because of the Left parties' support to it.
Describing the Congress as a "sinking ship", Karat asked his "friends" in the UPA to "jump off the ship as quickly as possible and join the Left" to fight against communal forces.
"We can form an alternative force to both the Congress and the BJP," he said.
"We are not worried about the outcome of the confidence vote," Karat said, adding that the Left's struggle against the UPA will continue.
"Even if they win the confidence vote, we will continue our struggle against the nuclear deal issue and UPA's anti-people policies by taking them to the people," he said.
Flaying Congress' pro-US stand, Karat said the Left had supported UPA only to keep the BJP away from coming to power since Congress had also claimed to be against communal forces.
"But you cannot fight against BJP sitting in the lap of the US as the BJP is known for its pro-US policies," he warned.
Justifying their withdrawal of support to the UPA, Karat said the government was pursuing "neo-liberal policies" resulting in problems like inflation, price rise, unemployment and even farmers' suicides.
CPI national General Secretary D Raja said the Congress had lost all moral ground, and had no locus standi in accusing the Left of helping BJP by withdrawing their support to the former and voting against it in the confidence motion.
"Congress is taking India on the wrong path", he said.
Accusing Prime Minister's Office of becoming a "lobby" of corporates, Raja, in an apparent reference to Ambani brothers's spat knocking the PMO's doors, said, "Prime Minister himself is involved in compromising disputes between corporate companies."