Wednesday, April 6 2005 18:16 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Criticising Congress for not reviewing its policy of economic liberalisation, veteran Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) leader Jyoti Basu today (Apr 6, 2005) said that that the party was still following it and called for the intensifying the fight against it outside Parliament.

''It should not be forgotten that it was the Congress Government, which first introduced the policy of liberalisation in the country when present Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the Finance Minister. They were isolated from the people by implementing this economic policy and they are still trying to follow it,'' Basu said.

The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government has decided to allow 74 per cent foreign investment in the telecom sector and their aim was to increase private control in banks, Basu said in a write up in a special supplement of the party mouthpiece, 'Ganashakti', on the occasion of the CPM's party congress.

The Congress was also for privatisation of profitable PSUs goods and handing over the insurance sector to foreign companies, he said.

The nonagenarian leader said that the people were observing that Leftists were opposing the 'anti-people' policies of the Congress.

''Our fights should not be limited inside Parliament, it should be intensified outside as well,'' he said.

Basu, however, said that his party, which was providing crucial outside support to the Congress-led Government, did not want it to fall as it would facilitate the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to stage a comeback. ''We cannot allow that to happen.''

Admitting that it was a very difficult task, Basu said that the CPM, which had fought the Congress for a long time, had to support it now, and at the same time, oppose it on the question of policies.

Stating that the UPA Government should be run in coordination with the leftists, Basu said, ''We have some experience in running a coalition Government. They should take a lesson from this.''

He said that the Left parties had compelled the UPA Government to accept some amendments in the Patents Bill. Also due to Leftist pressure the Congress-led Government had increased allocation in education, health etc in the central budget.

Basu said that the CPM congress would deliberate in detail on the its organisational strength at the national level because save West Bengal, Kerala, Tripura and a few other States the party organisation was weak.

In the Hindi-speaking States, he said, CPM's organisational weakness was clearly visible while in south India also, the party's progress was not upto expectation.

Communal and castiest forces were taking advantage of this situation.