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UPA following NDA on foreign policy: Karat
The CPI-M leader accuses the UPA Govt of pursuing the Vajpayee govt line on the foreign policy issue.
Accusing the UPA dispensation of pursuing the Vajpayee government line on the foreign policy issue, senior CPI-M leader Prakash Karat on Thursday admitted his party's ties with the ruling coalition had suffered on account of this.
It was decided at the time of government formation that the coalition would follow an independent foreign policy but it was pursuing the Vajpayee government line on this count, he told a rally here.
Acknowledging his party's ties with the UPA government had suffered on account of its foreign policy, he alleged the ruling coalition was compromising national interests and buckling under the US pressure.
On government's stand on Iran nuclear issue, he said the Left allies were not taken into confidence.
Asking the Prime Minister to earnestly work on the Common Minimum Programme chalked out by the UPA, he said solving farmers' problem was the foremost duty of Manmohan Singh.
"So far, over one lakh arces of agriculture land has been given to industrialists in the name of development which is a scam in itself," he said.
Calling for safeguarding the interest of farmers, Karat said a major share of the budget should be allocated to farming activities.
The Marxist leader was critical of price spiral and said instead of hiking petrol prices, there was need to restructure the tax system.
Karat said his party would not allow disinvestment of any profit-making public enterprise and demanded implementation of the Employment Guarantee Scheme in every district within three years.
