Karat: Letter bomb

New Delhi, May 8: The Left leadership is setting the stage for a renewed attack on the government.

The four Left parties will meet in the capital tomorrow to chalk out a strategy in Parliament, which reconvenes this Wednesday. The CPM politburo will meet two days later after the Assembly poll results are out.

The Left has turned on the heat on the Congress-led government’s economic policies. CPM politburo member Brinda Karat has asked the Prime Minister to “intervene and clarify” the decision on modernisation of airports on the floor of the House.

In a letter to Manmohan Singh, Karat has demanded that the handing over of the airports to private-led joint venture firms be kept in abeyance till Singh clarifies the issue in Parliament and the Supreme Court gives its ruling.

Karat underlined that keeping the transfers on hold will not impact the revamp and refurbishing jobs being done by the Airports Authority of India. She accused the empowered group of ministers of exceeding its terms and changing the criteria for bidders.

The apex court is expected to give a verdict on June 1 after examining certain contentious issues relating to the tender process, including the “lowering of standards and giving the choice on opening of the financial bids”.

“It is quite unfortunate that the accountability of the executive to Parliament is being undermined to an extent that one has to wait for judicial intervention for acts of omission or commission by the executive,” she said in her letter. Karat has accused civil aviation minister Praful Patel of “evading a reply” on the issue during a discussion in the last session of Parliament.

Citu general secretary Chittabrata Majumdar, too, has written to the Prime Minister. In his letter, he opposed the transfer of Balco shares to private bidders.

“We will oppose the government’s move to introduce the pension bill and any decision to increase oil prices on the floor of the House,” said CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan.

For the Left, the Assembly poll results in Bengal and Kerala are significant. In Kerala, the Left Democratic Front is tipped to win but in Bengal the Left Front could end up with a reduced tally. But the Bengal results are more crucial because a setback ? in the form of a reduced tally ? would dent the Left both at the Centre and in the state.