Sunday, March 12 2006 12:11 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Notwithstanding the Centre giving a cold shoulder to concerns expressed by Left parties, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said his party has got a 'lot of things done' for the people despite growing differences with the UPA Government.

"There is a definite growth in the distance in certain areas like foreign policy where there has been serious departure in what has been committed by the UPA in the national common minimum programme," he told Karan Thapar in an interview for 'Devil's Advocate' aired on CNN-IBN.

Yechury said the differences between the Left Front and the Congress-led UPA should not be seen as 'unnatural'.

"There will be issues where there is conformity, there will be issues where there are disputes," he said.

The CPI(M) Politburo member said that despite the differences with the ruling alliance his party was getting a lot of things done for the people.

"I am getting a lot of things done for the people with this. I am also continuously putting my pressure on the Government," he said.

Citing the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the Tribal Rights Bill as its major achievements, the CPI(M) leader said all apprehensions on the Indo-US nuclear deal were met only because of the pressure of the Left parties.

"The Prime Minister (Manmohan Singh) accepted our concerns (over the nuclear deal), and that is a fact," he said.

He said if the Government chooses to ignore the demands of the Left it has to do at "Its own peril".

"There are consequences they have to bearand they know it very well, " he said.

On Finance Minister P Chidambaram's reported remarks of opening up the retail sector for foreign direct investment, Yechury said,"The Finance Minister has been saying that for two years. Has that happened?"

However, he said he Left parties react to the Government, "On the basis of its policies and not on the basis of statements."

Yechury said there was no contradiction in the Left Front stand on support to the UPA government.

"However much you would like to see a fictitious, fabricated contradiction ... it does not exist," he said.

The CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP said the Left Front would continue to put pressure on a whole range of issues like budget, FDI and foreign policy.

"There are all these issues on which we will put pressure and extract the maximum," he said.