CPI likely to follow big brother on CMP as well

Finance Minister P Chidambaram today visited the CPI headquarters.Last time when he was the country’s finance minister, the CPI was par...

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Finance Minister P Chidambaram today visited the CPI headquarters.

Last time when he was the country’s finance minister, the CPI was part of the government. While Chidambaram drove home the point that he would abide by the Common Minimum Programme, CPI leaders A.B. Bardhan and D. Raja told him that his budget should address the needs of those who were not shining under the previous BJP regime—the farmers and the workers.

However, the visit of the new Finance Minister may not bring the CPI on board the Common Minimum Programme of the UPA government. The party is still awaiting official word from Big Brother CPI-M, which met in Kolkata today.

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The CPI’s decision on signing the dotted line adopting the UPA’s CMP will largely depend the CPI-M’s stand. With the CPI-M politburo deciding not to be a signatory to the CMP, the CPI is likely to follow suit.

Just as it happened on the issue of participation in the UPA government, the CPI is willing adopt the CMP with the alterations suggested by them. But as in the case of participation, the CPI-M hardliners are likely to have the final say on CMP as well.

‘‘There are some basic objections we have on the CMP draft, we have given our detailed suggestion. Let’s see, if they (the Congress-led coalition) accept it,’’ CPI’s D. Raja said, keeping the option open for an honourable exit.

A crucial meeting of the Left Front on the issue is slated for tomorrow at 11 p.m. at AKG Bhavan, the CPI-M headquarters. This would precede the UPA coordination committee’s meeting to finalise the CMP.

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‘‘We are going to discuss the CMP with our colleagues in the Left parties. It has been called precisely to thrash out a common Left stand. We (CPI) are willing go with it, provided they accept our basic points,’’ Raja said.