RSP mulls withdrawal of support to UPA

The Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), one of the four Left parties supporting the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) regime, today held consultations with the CPI and the CPI(M) on the issue of withdrawal of the Left support to the government, or at least from the UPA-Left Coordination Committee, citing violations of the National Common Minimum Programme (NCMP).

A delegation of RSP Central Committee members met CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat and CPI General Secretary AB Bardhan and asked them why and for how long the Left should support the UPA regime given the violations of the NCMP on several issues including the UPA regime's attempt to increase FDI limit in insurance sector, to push through pension reforms and disinvestment in PSUs, and its continuous neglect of the interest of farmers, unorganised sector workers and women, etc.

Karat and Bardhan were said to be in agreement with the RSP leaders' contention about violation of the NCMP but were not in favour of pulling down the UPA government. They were learnt to have argued that the Left had been able to stall many programmes of the government and delayed many others and it was better this way.

The RSP with three MPs in the Lok Sabha was not convinced, though. The Central Committee was deliberating over the question of withdrawing support from the UPA government or pulling out of the UPA-Left Coordination Committee.

"We are still discussing these issues. We will take a decision by tomorrow," RSP leader Abani Roy said.