Thursday, February 2 2006 17:22 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Coming out in support of the striking airport employees, major Left trade unions today lashed out at Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel accusing him of 'selling the country' and threatened the Government that its survival could be at stake.

Close-In Weapon Systems (CITU) President M K Pandhe and All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) General Secretary Gurudas Das Gupta addressed the striking workers at the airport here and announced that they would 'confront' the Government in Parliament and force it to reverse the decision to 'privatise' Mumbai and Delhi airports.

"Left parties have 61 members in Parliament and the Government is dependent on us. If it wants to survive it should not be doing what it is doing now," Gupta said amid cheers from the workers.

He said the striking workers would intensify their agitation in the coming days and take all possible steps to reverse the Government decision and indicated that Left trade union leaders may also begin a hunger strike in support of the AAI employees' stir.

"We will raise the issue in Parliament. We shall not allow Praful Patel to continue, whatever may be the consequences. We will not allow him to have his way," Gupta said.

"Praful Patel is bringing foreign people, foreign water, foreign food and casinos to our airports. He wants to sell our country. He is privatising the airports on one hand and taking money on the other," he alleged.

Pandhe urged all trade unions irrespective of their party affiliations, including INTUC and BMS, to come forward and extend their support to the workers. "It is not Patel, but the workers who are running the country."