The Communist Party of India-Marxist, providing crucial outside support to the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre, has ruled out withdrawal of the backing even as it plans to work for a 'third alternative' on the basis of a common platform.
With a categorical statement on its position vis-à-vis the government, the party virtually made it clear to other Left allies like Communist Party of India that this was not the time for pulling out of the arrangement at the Centre.
"The CPI-M has not considered withdrawal of support to the UPA government. Withdrawal of support would mean de-stabilising the government," CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat told PTI in an interview.
"Who would benefit from this, except the BJP? Our view is that since we are outside the government, we should continue to press for changes in policies and mobilise people against the measures, which are not in the interests of the people and the country. If there is any alternative proposal, we can discuss it in the Left parties."
He was replying to a question about his CPI counterpart A B Bardhan's call for Left parties to review their support to the UPA government, which was described as 'non-performing.'
During his interview, the 56 year-old leader spoke on a variety of issues like the presidential election, Uttar Pradesh polls and rising SEZ controversy.
Asked about parties like Samajwadi Party, Telugu Desam Party, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Assam Gana Parishad coming together to cobble a Third Front, Karat said evolution of such a Front should not be linked to elections.
"It will be misleading to link it with any election. The Third Alternative should emerge and work together on a common platform of policies. That alternative is yet to take shape," he said, adding that they had already talked to both parties inside and outside the UPA.
"We have worked together in the past. The Third Front should have a common platform and identity. It cannot be an opportunistic alliance of parties just ahead of any election.
We will take our time and build it properly and work towards a third alternative," he said.
To a question about the projections of a hung House in the Uttar Pradesh elections and what would be the political alignment there, the Marxist leader said he was not in a position to predict what will happen but expressed the hope that Bahujan Samaj Party will not join hands with the BJP.
He recalled that the two parties had come together on two occasions in the past and hoped it would not happen this time.
"Our main concern in UP is to see that BJP does not come into government with the help of any other party. The SP has a record of having defeated BJP in earlier elections. Since it is clear that no party will get a majority, we would like a secular government in UP. Efforts should be made in this direction," he said.
On UPA government's performance and its policies, Karat said the party has recently expressed its unhappiness about its policies and that the Congress leadership should draw lessons from its electoral defeat in Punjab and Uttarakhand elections.
"The Congress leadership should consider why the popular discontent is growing. I think on completion of three years of the government, course correction in policies is called for," he said.
The Left parties have time and again drawn attention of the government to fulfill pro-people commitments of the UPA made in the Common Minimum Programme.
"We are saying that the BJP would try to cash in on the discontentment arising out of the failure of the government to tackle price rise, agrarian crisis, unemployment and other problems. This is why we are insisting that immediate steps should be taken to curb price rise and tackle the problems of farmers and give up the idea of merely harping that the GDP growth rate will automatically benefit the poorer sections," he said.
On the Indo-US nuclear deal, Karat said the CPI-M was clear that it would like the government to adhere to the framework set out by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his August 17 statement to Parliament last year.
"There should be no compromise on any of the issues on which the prime minister has clearly spelt out on the positions India has taken and that we are not going an inch beyond that," he said.
In reply to questions on the controversial Nandigram project to house a chemical hub, the CPI-M leader said the party and the Left Front government there should learn lessons from that episode.
But the hope (among the rivals) that political base of the CPI-M and the Left was being eroded would be proved false, he said.
"The people are against giving up their land and the state government has already announced that it will not set up the chemical hub there. Lessons should be learnt from this episode.
"Industrialisation is required in West Bengal. Our party and the Left Front government are committed to strengthening the agricultural base and develop industry. But in case land acquisition is to take place, it should be done only with the consent of the people and by providing adequate compensation and rehabilitation," he observed.
However, he made it clear that the Tata Motors project will go ahead and rejected allegations that there was coercion in acquisition of land for the small car project.
Karat dismissed the charge that CPI-M adopted different policies on SEZs when it came to West Bengal and the Centre.
"We have only one policy on SEZ, whether at the Centre or West Bengal. Our party is opposed to the present concept of SEZ as it exists in the Act and Rules. We have given a comprehensive note of the Left parties demanding changes in the Act and Rules," Karat said.
He said they were not satisfied with the recent SEZ policy framed by the empowered Group of Ministers at the Centre and that they are pressing for further changes in the policy.
Karat opposed tax sops for SEZs saying such proposals should be removed. He also asked why sops should be given for hotels and hospitals inside the SEZs. He was surprised why the state governments were also being asked to provide such sops.
He asked why the states were also being told to provide a minimum of 2,500 hectares for SEZs. The CPI-M leader said policies should be framed keeping in mind how many SEZs were required in the country, what type of industry was to be set up and why should the land given for SEZs be used for other purposes.