New Delhi: Four Left parties today (Oct 27, 2004) asked the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) Government to stop disinvestment of 35 PSUs including BHEL, PowerGrid Corporation and Power Finance Corporation saying the move would adversely affect the development of PSUs and would also go against the principles of the Common Minimum Programme (CMP).

"While the Board for Reconstruction of Public Enterprises has not yet been formed, the empowered Group of Ministers (GoM) is already going ahead with fixing the price for the sale of Government equity in these PSUs," CPM Polit Bureau member Prakash Karat told reporters after an hour-long meeting of four Left parties CPM (Communist Party Marxist), CPI (Communist Party of India), RSP (Revolutionary Socialist Party) and Forward Bloc.

"The Left parties would like the UPA Government to stop this disinvestment process and discuss the matter seriously as it is of vital concern to the people and the country," Karat said.