Left launches national campaign against UPA's policies

The Left parties on Monday launched a nationwide campaign to explain to the people the reasons that prompted them to withdraw support to the United Progressive Alliance government which, they alleged, 'failed' to keep its promises due to its 'obsession' with the nuclear deal.

Top Left leaders addressed a meeting in Delhi where they cited the UPA's "failures, including rising prices and inflation, surrendering of national interest, and unkept promises with regard to the Common Minimum Programme".

The leaders vigorously attacked the government for its "refusal" to take appropriate steps to tackle the "runaway" inflation and "back-breaking" price rise.

The campaign was launched to explain to people the reasons for withdrawing support besides "explaining the UPA's pro-American and anti-people policies which are resulting in price rise and other problems," Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Prakash Karat said.

The Left parties are trying to rally other democratic and secular forces who do not want either the Congress or Bharatiya Janata Party to be the only alternative.

In the course of the campaign, Karat said the Left will also place before the people an alternative to meet energy requirements for development and for putting an end to the economic policies pursued by the government which are "harmful to farmers, rural poor, workers and other sections".

Karat said the government and the Congress wanted to fulfill their promise to US President George Bush, "It is their primary aim and not tackling inflation or price rise."  

Karat said, "Nuclear deal and price rise are the issues on which we withdrew support".

Plans are afoot to field top leaders, who will criss-cross the country, to attend public meetings and rallies organised in major towns in all states.

The focus of the campaign will be on youth as the "cream of the country" needs to be educated on the "ill-effects" of the nuclear deal and other problems facing the country.

Meetings will be organised at all major centres as well as in towns and villages. Pamphlets and handbills will be published. The false claims and assumptions made by government will be exposed and facts will brought before them, a senior Left leader said.

The campaign plank will be anti-imperialism and defence of the country's sovereignty, anti-communalism and defence of secular domestic polity and protection and improvement of common people's livelihood against attack of big business.