Left grills Lalu, Sharad

New Delhi: As many as 12 cabinet ministers on Tuesday made power point presentations before the comrades, a telling commentary of their increasing clout over UPA government after the resounding victories in West Bengal and Kerala.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi were also present at the meet.

Due to the Left’s unsympathetic stand on UPA’s two-year performance, the government on Tuesday sought to explain the steps taken by key ministries to the comrades.

The Prime Minister asked the ministers to explain their respective achievements and the steps taken by them. CPM sources said they would study the presentation at their politburo meeting slated for May 27-28 and issue a detailed response.

Railway minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, surprised everyone present with his computer skills and made a presentation in Hindi with a smattering of English prompting urban development minister Jaipal Reddy to quip: “This is the beauty of the Mandal
Commission. Nobody thought a person like Lalu Prasad could make a power point presentation.”

Though there was a UPA-Left appraisal meeting last year when the government completed one year in office, this meeting complimented by power point presentations on Tuesday was a first-of-its-kind event.

The meeting held at Prime Minister’s residence saw the Left leaders grilling top guns like Sharad Pawar and Lalu Prasad Yadav. The Left bloc comprised CPM general secretary Prakash Karat, his CPI counterpart AB Bardhan, D Raja (also CPI), RSP leader Abani Roy and Forward Bloc general secretary Debabrata Biswas.