Accusing the BJP of having failed as an effective opposition at the Centre, the CPI-M on Tuesday said it was busy settling scores and raking up "non-issues" like Vande Mataram.
ALLAHABAD: Accusing the BJP of having failed as an effective opposition at the Centre, the CPI-M on Tuesday said it was busy settling scores and raking up "non-issues" like Vande Mataram.
The Left supporting the UPA from the outside was however bearing pressure on the government on issues of public concern, CPI-M polit bureau member Brinda Karat said on Tuesday.
"We do not claim the UPA government is being run as per CPI-M directions. It cannot be. But nobody can deny we have been consistently keeping the government on its toes despite our support to it. We have compelled it take a number of steps for the people's welfare and to step back from those that might affect the common man," she said.
She alleged the BJP had completely failed in fulfilling its obligations as main opposition party. Instead of expending its energies on genuine issues, "the party is busy settling scores and raking up non-issues like Vande Mataram", she said.
Karat denied the CPI-M was put on the back foot on issues like oil price hike where the government had its way and said "it is to a great extent due to our influence the government has refrained from introducing privatisation in sectors like insurance and pension. Our concerns over privatisation of BALCO and Centaur hotels have been vindicated by the latest report".
However, the CPI-M did not intend to keep raising hurdles in the way of the government. "We wholeheartedly welcomed the Right to Employment Guarantee Act and if and when our tone got terse over the issue, it was to prod the government to do better rather than merely criticising it", she said.
Karat claimed that states like West Bengal, where the Left Front has been in power for decades, had lower incidence of farmers committing suicide "as the government has ensured peasants are not left to the mercy of money-lenders".
On the agitation launched by former Prime Minister V P Singh in Dadri, she said the CPI-M may not support a political movement started by an individual "but we have and we will always support any mass agitation which raises the issue of farmers and the poor people".
She said the party would finalise its strategy regarding the coming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh at its state-level committee meeting likely to be held next month.
The CPI-M leader asked the Prime Minister to expedite the clearance of the women's quota bill in Parliament.
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