Monday, April 11 2005 16:05 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Prakash Karat, who was today (Apr 11, 2005) elected CPM (Communist Party of India-Marxist) General Secretary, said the party would continue its two-pronged approach of fighting communalism and the economic policies of liberalisation and privatisation.

It would also wage a "determined struggle" against imperialism and "all aggressive manoeuvres of US imperialism," he said, shortly after he was elected to the post in place of Harkishen Singh Surjeet.

While fighting this battle, the CPM would also place before the people alternative policies to safeguard national sovereignty and ensure the interests of the working people, Karat said.

Addressing the concluding session of 18th Congress of the CPM, veteran Marxist leader Jyoti Basu, asked the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) Government as well as the Left parties to be "more tolerant and patient" with each other.

He also called for concerted steps by his party to unite more democratic forces on a common platform to present "another alternative" before the people in the coming days.

The Left has to unite more and more democratic forces so that sooner, rather than later, we can present another alternative before the people," Basu, who was the Chairman of the Presidium of the Congress, said.

We have been telling the UPA Government to listen to us because the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) neither belongs to Congress, nor us. Both should be more tolerant and patient," Basu said, adding that the Left would go to the people if it thought any move of the Government went against their interests.