The Left parties, providing key outside to the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre, have sought a meeting of the UPA-Left Coordination Committee after the Assembly polls to sort out differences on economic and foreign policy fronts, senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader Jyoti Basu said in Kolkata on Wednesday. "We have sent a message (to Congress) that we should meet and talk seriously about the differences.
"At the meeting we will speak clearly on where we agree and where we disagree," he told PTI in an interview. The Left parties do not want to be pushed into a position where the differences are such that it results in the falling of the government and BJP coming to power," he added.
"In any case if we leave them (UPA), there will be elections and Bharatiya Janata Party will come to power. We do not want BJP to come back to power. "They are dependent on us and we are dependent on them. We do not want a communal party like BJP to lead a Government at the Centre," the CPI (M) politburo member said.
Charging the UPA government with violating the Common Minimum Programme on foreign and economic policy issues, Basu said the government was following a "pro-US" foreign policy and going back on its promise in the CMP to have an independent policy. "Our non-aligned foreign policy has completely changed," he added.
Basu said "we are perturbed because some Congress leaders are saying that the situation has changed since the time of Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi [Images]. They are saying that we cannot go ahead without the US.
Pointing out that much of the CMP remains unimplemented, Basu said, "We shall talk to Congress leaders after elections are over in five states. We are waiting for that."
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