New Delhi: The Left parties on February 16 accused the government of attempting to "communalise the atmosphere" ahead of the Assembly polls in four states by "surreptitiously" moving the Supreme Court to help the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) – Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) begin temple construction in Ayodhya.

This is a "cynical attempt by the government to communalise the atmosphere every time elections are round the corner by legitimising the VHP's efforts to whip up emotion," said the Left parties in a joint statement after their meeting on the eve of the Budget session of Parliament.

Charging the government with bypassing Parliament, which has enacted the Law to take over the land in and around the disputed site at Ayodhya, the Left parties said they would try and co-ordinate with all secular parties to oppose this "diabolical move of the government."

The parties strongly protested the manner in which the government is going ahead with the privatisation of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL) and sought to highlight the "ever growing" opposition to this move, which was "clearly against the nation's strategic interest and intended to benefit certain corporates".

Expressing serious concern over the crash in price of agriculture commodities, they said agricultural labour was continuing to be abysmal without a comprehensive Legislation to protect their interest.

PTI