Thursday, April 20 2006 14:27 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Thiruvananthapuram: A resounding victory for LDF in Kerala and West Bengal would make the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre more amenable to pressure from Left parties, CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan said today (Apr 20, 2006).

"Victory would increase the importance of Left parties in national level and Congress would learn a lesson from their defeat," Bardhan said while participating at 'Janavidhi 2006'organised by the Kesari Memorial Journalists Trust here.

Claiming that UPA government was moving unilaterally ignoring all pressures from Left parties, he said it was also discarding Common Minimum Programme.

"There would not be any complaint and confusion if UPA honestly implemented CMP," he said.

Asked how long the Left parties would tolerate the Congress for violating CMP, Bardhan said, "It is a question that we will come to it in due course".

"May be even after the election to states, we will review the position", he added.

The Left parties were supporting the government to keep communal BJP out of power," he said.

"We are still aware of it. BJP can be ruled out in Kerala and West Bengal but certainly not in national level", he said.

Bardhan said, "Left were also not in agree with some of the economic and foreign policies of the UPA Government.

"We oppose privatisation through back-door, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in retail sector", he said adding there was no blanket opposition to FDI, but only that affect our employment.