Kochi: In a new twist to the controversy over the presence of foreign consultants in the Planning Commission, CPM (Communist Party Marxist) today (Sep 25, 2004) said it was not against foreign experts or economists being inducted into the Commission but they should not be drawn from multilateral agencies like the World Bank or IMF.

Party Politburo member Prakash Karat said, "CPM is not against the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) Government's decision to induct foreign experts or economists into the various bodies of the Planning Commission. But they should not be from the World Bank or IMF," CPM politburo member Prakash Karat said delivering the inaugural address at a colloquium on Common Minimum Programme (CMP) in higher education.

"Since the fifties, a number of foreign experts have been associated with the Planning Commission. What we are objecting to is employing experts who are employees of World Bank and IMF," he said.

"Some people," according to Karat, "are misinterpreting as if the Left is against the foreign experts being inducted into Planning Commission. No we are not opposing foreign experts. If Planning Commission vice chairman Montek Singh Aluwalia wishes to include experts, it is okay. But the experts should not be from World Bank or IMF."

Karat said the experts from the multilateral agencies would be "serving the interests of their organisations and not that of the country".

If India has to progress economically, it is essential that the country works against the directions of such agencies, he added.