Saturday, December 10 2005 20:34 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: Communist Party of India (CPI) General Secretary A B Bardhan today (Dec 10, 2005) gave a call to form a left-democratic alternative and said left parties have to increase their strength to give leadership such alternative.

"We are supporting the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government now from outside but this situation cannot continue for all time to come. It has to be changed," Bardhan who was here to attend the 80th anniversary of his party told newsmen.

Asked how long it would take to form such alternative, the CPI leader said, "It depends on how much strength we develop in the next election. Then we have to take other secular democratic parties with us."

The Left now has 61 MPs in the Lok Sabha. "This is very important. But this is not enough. The Left should have decisive strength so that it could give leadership to a left-democratic alternative," he said, adding, "To increase its strength communist parties would have to expand in the Hindi belt.

Expressing a tough attitude towards the UPA Government for 'deviating' from the CMP on certain issues like EPF rate cut and pension bill, Bardhan said that his party would struggle to against it but continue to support it to keep the communal forces at bay.

"CPI would vote against the UPA Government if it went ahead with the pension bill despite their opposition and launch movement if the UPA Government did not restore the EPF rate to 9.5 per cent," he added.