Left complains against Praful to PM

NEW DELHI: The top leaders of the four Left parties on Thursday complained to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh against civil aviation minister Praful Patel for making policy statements on airport privatisation. They said he has violated the spirit of the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) and urged the PM to come out with a strong, authoritative policy pronouncement of the government.

Taking strong objection to Patel's media comments that "we can't take different routes for modernising Chennai and Kolkata airports", the left leaders shot off a letter to the Prime Minister demanding that he come out strongly with an "authoritative policy pronouncement of the government", that is in keeping with the CMP.

The letter, signed by CPM general secretary Prakash Karat and his CPI counterpart AB Bardhan told the Prime Minister that Patel's comments amounted to "clear departure.”

The letter to PM quoted the civil aviation minister as saying to a newspaper on May 20 that “we can’t take different routes for modernising Chennai and Kolkata airports. If we decide to follow the JV route - similar to the one taken for Delhi and Mumbai airports - then even Kolkata will have to be developed through the same route.”