Agencies

Chennai, Jun 13: The UPA Government cannot take the support of Left parties for granted and its "longevity and stability" depended on its strict adherence to the Common Minimum Programme, the CPI said on Monday.

The Left parties' protest against the Government' policies had public support and must not be treated lightly, said CPI National Secretary D Raja.

"If the UPA Government neglects the Left's just and reasonable demands for people’s welfare, the consequences could be very serious," Raja warned.

The Left was preparing a draft note on the performance of the Centre's two-year rule, which would be discussed at the UPA-left parties co-ordination committee meeting on June 15.

The Government's performance had "positive and negative aspects" and it could have done more if it had implemented the programme.

Keeping "communal forces at bay," repealing POTA, implementing the Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and enacting the Right to Information Act were the positive aspects of the government, he said.

The influence of "foreign capitalist forces" on the country's economic policies and the US influence on the country's foreign policy were negative aspects, he said.

The Government could have done more, in tune with the programme, like bringing about a nationwide legislation for protecting farm labourers' interest, 33 per cent reservation for women in legislative assemblies and Parliament and implementation of new economic policies refelecting the agriculture sector also.

If the UPA Government didn’t respond positively to the report, the committee will meet once again to decide on the future course of action.

Fuel price hike could have been avoided if the Centre had accepted the suggestions of the Left parties.

The Left had suggested reducing excise duty on petroleum products, which formed a major portion of the price of these products and conversion of oil cess as price stabilisation fund, he said. The Centre had collected a whopping Rs 1,25,000 crore as cess.