Press Trust of India Posted online: Saturday, January 28, 2006 at 1832 hours IST Updated: Saturday, January 28, 2006 at 1849 hours IST
New Delhi, January 28: Sounding a stern warning to the UPA coalition it supports from outside, CPI has said that if the ‘bourgeois’ government does not heed to Left parties' concerns on various issues they might take 'some more steps' rather than just opposing.
Ahead of the February 2 meeting of IAEA on Iran's nuclear programme, CPI general secretary A B Bardhan in an interview to Karan Thapar said the people of the country also have a say in the issue and it is not just a matter of Left parties on one side and the government on the other.
But he did not explain what the ‘some more steps’ will be.
Asked about his repeated comments that the government will repent if it votes against Iran, he said "it will repent. If the government wants to side with the US on all subjects, heeds to its dictates. If its (US) pro-consul comes here and tells the government what it should do..."
The "people of the country have also a stake. It is not Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister P Chidambaram on one side and we on the other. People of the country also has a say," he said.
Asked what the Left will do if the government votes against Iran despite their Opposition, he said they will fight and oppose, adding "if the Left withdraws all its support the government will collapse the next day."
On the issue of disinvestment of equity in profit-making non-navratna PSUs, he said that the Left parties will ‘oppose’ and ‘fight’ any such move. But when prodded further he said "we might take some more steps", without elaborating what the steps would be.
When asked about the decision to allow FDI in retail trade sector, he said "there are many things which they (government) are violating from the CMP and all of these provoke us for struggle."
