Saturday, June 17 2006 12:48 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Lucknow: The CPI(M) today (June 17,2006) said it would wait for the response of the UPA government to the note submitted by the Left pointing out areas of differences before deciding about its next course of action vis-a-vis its relations with the ruling dispensation.

"We have submitted a note to the UPA Government.We will discuss with them the issues raised in the note after a month and then decide," CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat told reporters here when asked about his party's support to the UPA Government despite having sharp differences on several major issues.

Karat, who had a 45 minute meeting with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav earlier, said that his party had given support to the UPA to keep the BJP at bay at the Centre.

"It did not mean that our support should be taken for granted," he said.

Karat said there was no proposal to reduce sales tax on petrol and diesel in CPI(M)-ruled states on the lines of the Congress-ruled states, saying a major chunk of the oil revenue went to the Centre in the form of excise and customs duty.

"Let the Centre first reduce the petrol and diesel prices and then we can ask our state governments to reduce sales tax," he said.

"We are not ready to reduce the sales tax on petrol and diesel," Karat said.

The CPI(M) leader said that the Left had differences on several others issues which included the decision to import 35 lakh tonnes of wheat at higher prices since it would adversally affect the farmers.