Left has right to know, Basu to tell UPA bosses

Basu’s disappointment does not mean that the rift between the Left and the Congress would widen. But the senior politburo member had high hopes on the value of the UPA-Left coordination committee as an institution.

Initially, when the Left was speaking in many voices, it was Basu who on a trip to Delhi, really helped set up the coordination mechanism.

Basu said : ‘‘There are two committees now — the committee of the Left parties to build a single opinion on most issues and the UPA-Left coordination committee to discuss issues on which the Left and UPA had divergent opinions — but decisions are being taken without consulting us.’’

‘‘I have received a call from my party’s politburo this morning. I have told them that I would like to meet the UPA leadership — Prime Minister Manmohan Singh — before I returned to Kolkata on September 18. They will see if an appointment is possible,’’ he said.

Basu sounded peeved by the inclusion of officials of World Bank, ADB and US-based private consultancy firm in the Planning Commission review panel. He said : ‘‘They never told us they were doing this.’’

Basu argued that the government had some ‘‘good plans’’ like those on ‘‘education’’ and for ‘‘farmers’’ in the Common Minimum Programme. But he felt that the UPA Government should provide a time-frame for their implementation.

‘‘I am unwell. Otherwise, I would have got more involved with the goings-on in Delhi,’’ he added.

The CPM politburo is meeting in Delhi on September 17 and Basu is coming for that. In fact, his successor, Buddhadev Bhattacharya, has already sought an appointment with the PM to discuss development issues.

But Basu’s meeting with the PM or even Sonia Gandhi might help the Left extract some more political concessions. Even if the UPA does not climb down from its stand on several issues, the leadership might pledge to take the coordination meetings more seriously. Right now, the Left despite its loud protests outside have not been able to bargain well in these meetings.