Monday, April 4 2005 08:37 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Chandigarh: The five-day 19th Congress of the Communist Party of India (CPI) concluded in Chandigarh yesterday (Apr 3, 2005) with the party resolving to play a more proactive role to put pressure on the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government to implement the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) in its letter and spirit.

The party also expressed determination to improve its strength, particularly in the Hindi heartland and called for the Left parties to unite for unleashing mass struggles to protect the interests of the common people.

Addressing a gathering of party delegates drawn from all across India and the fraternal delegates abroad, A B Bardhan, the septuagenarian communist leader who was yesterday re-elected as the party's general secretary, said the party would launch "a mass struggle to protect the interests of the common man."

He said that "launching a struggle for implementation of the CMP does not mean giving a call to overthrow the Congress led UPA but only make it realise that it should not deviate from the promises made in the Programme".

On his address to the inaugural session, Bardhan had said that the support to the UPA was a "political necessity" but stressed that such backing was not forever and could be reviewed.

Bardhan also said if need be the party would ask for another amendment on the Patent issue, adding they would closely watch if prices of medicines, especially those of Life Saving Drugs rise in future.

The meet had witnessed heated debate on the Patent issue with some members objecting to the party's Central leadership supporting the UPA on the Patent Bill.