Left says ‘others’ must learn from PM

Both Ahluwalia and Yechury, in separate interactions with the media today, played down the issue even as they tried to signal that they stood on firm ground.

‘‘As the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh has been carrying with him all shades of views. But others aren’t,’’ said Yechury. He did not mention who the ‘‘others’’ were, but obviously Ahluwalia was high on that list.

The Left has opposed Ahluwalia’s moves to include experts from the World Bank and ADB on a panel to review the Tenth Plan. Left leaders believe Ahluwalia’s rejoinders have deepened the controversy. Today, after meeting other Planning Commission members , Ahluwalia said he would meet the PM on the issue. Without elaborating, he said: ‘‘The Commission is unanimous (in its opinion).’’

Some Leftist economists had threatened to walk out of the consultative groups unless the foreign experts were shown the door. Left leaders have also attacked Ahluwalia’s stand on the subject.

In contrast, Yechury was at pains to establish that the criticism did not extend to the PM. ‘‘He (Manmohan Singh) has adapted himself to the coalition dharma. The Manmohan Singh who was the finance minister of a Congress government and the Manmohan Singh who is the PM of the UPA coalition are two different persons. Others should follow him,’’ he said. He added that the Left was getting all the bad press when the dispute had been all but resolved at the meeting between the Prime Minister and Jyoti Basu in Delhi on September 18.

He said it was the Planning Commission deputy chairperson who reopened the issue with his statement in London on September 20 (defending the foreign experts). ‘‘Montek Singh stirred the hornet’s nest unnecessarily,’’ Yechury said. On an earlier occasion, Yechury had tried to distance himself from the decision of the economists to go public with their letter. He had said at the time: ‘‘The economists don’t come under the discipline of the party.’’

Yechury agreed that foreign experts and international agencies could be consulted, but added they should not be on officially nominated panels. It was ‘‘symbolic’’ of surrender of sovereignty, he said. With Finance Minister P. Chidambaram scheduled to leave for a foreign visit, the Left is unsure of an early Left-UPA coordination meeting, which would help clear the air.

He said the Left had not been creating problems for the government of its own accord. ‘‘These are all issues which have arisen because the UPA government has made announcements without consulting us.’’ To show how the Left was willing to work with the government, he said it had no problems with the Board of PSU Reconstruction, which would be referred to the Cabinet in a day or two.