Saturday, July 2 2005 10:32 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Continuing the tirade against Manmohan Singh Government for disinvestment in profit-making public sector undertakings, Communist Party of India (CPI) yesterday (July 1, 2005) said it was in 'gross violation' of the Common Minimum Programme (CMP).

There was no justification for divesting equity in units like BHEL, NTPC and the ONGC, party general secretary A B Bardhan said addressing party workers at a function organised to mark the 91st birth anniversary of veteran Communist leader late Indradeep Sinha.

Warning that the support of the Left parties should not be taken for 'granted', he said the Left parties have already registered their protest by suspending their participation in the Left-United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coordination committee.

Commenting on the 10-year Defence agreement with the US, Bardhan questioned the rationale behind the "new framework for the US-India Defence relationship for the next 10 years", especially when the country's relation with Pakistan and China had improved considerably.

''The UPA Government should not have entered into such an agreement with the US when relation with our two neighbours - Pakistan and China - have improved.''

Bardhan thanked the workers of the Left parties for making the 'chakka jam' agitation against the recent hike in prices of petrol and diesel a success.