WikiLeaks revelation not a 'big issue': CPI(M)

Declining to be carried away by the controversy over the WikiLeaks' revelation of the CPI(M) leaders meeting US diplomats and discussing investment possibilities when in power in Kerala, party's state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan Wednesday said it was not a "big issue" as the party had a clear stand on foreign investment.

"This is not an issue which even requires to be discussed within the party. Our firm stand is there is nothing wrong in accepting foreign investment based on clear-cut conditions if that helped the country", Vijayan told reporters in Kannur.

He was reacting to queries on WikiLeaks revelations, quoted by media, that when the LDF was in power the US consular teams had met the CPI(M) leaders including the then chief minister VS Achuthanandan and Vijayan and that the former had shown keen interest in getting US investment to the state.

CPI(M) leader Tuesday admitted they met the US officials, but held they did not compromise their ideological stance and sacrifice the state's interests during the talks.

"We are not opposed to American people. What we are opposing are policies of the US Administration," Vijayan said.

Achuthanandan had yesterday said that when the US officials called on him, he had used that as an opportunity to slam the American policy on Iraq and other countries.

The party leaders,including former Finance Minister TM Thomas Isaac, have said the row over the issue is "unwarranted" as the CPI-M  was not against all kinds of foreign investment.