Friday, August 26 2005 12:05 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: In a counter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's remarks on Left parties' reservations against economic reforms, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) yesterday (August 25, 2005) said it would oppose the reforms if they were anti-people.

"Yes, we will object if the country is in question. If the country's economic sovereignty is being destroyed, we will object," CPI-M politburo member Sitaram Yechury told reporters here.

"There is nothing pro or anti reforms. The question is if the reform is pro-people, we are pro-reform. If the reform is anti-people, we are anti-reform," he said.

Yechury's remarks assume significance as they came a day after Singh had, in a pointed message to his Left allies, said in Rajya Sabha that ambitious social sector development programmes could not be sustained without reforms, industrial growth and investment climate.

Referring to the Prime Minister's effusive praise of West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya's bid to woo FDI, Yechury said if United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government commended Bhattacharya, it should implement his policies of land reforms, empowering the landless and poor peasantry and other such policies.

He said there was 'no difference' between Bhattacharya and CPI-M central leadership and restated the party's stand that FDI must satisfy three conditions of boosting production, upgrading technology and expanding employment opportunities.

"All FDI in West Bengal adhere to these conditions. That is exactly what we want the UPA Government to say as well. But they are not saying this", he said.