Oil hike fuels Left ire, PM wants to meet them

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wants to meet Left leaders as early as possible, preferably soon after returning from the Netherlands trip, according to sources in the Left today. Left leaders believe the meeting will focus on, among other things, the recent hike in prices of petroleum products, the latest issue of discord between the UPA and the four Left partners.

Already, the Left leaders have threatened to mobilise their mass organisations throughout the country to protest the hike of petroleum prices, especially that of LPG. Left leaders say former West Bengal CM Jyoti Basu’s outburst yesterday might have made Race Course Road hastily conceive of such a meeting. The CPI(M) and the CPI have also objected to the congratulatory message sent by the PM to US President George Bush.

The sources said it was communicated to the Left leaders today that the PM may even host a luncheon meeting on November 11. A meeting of the UPA-Left coordination committee is also due. One, supposed to be held on November 2, had to be deferred because some Left leaders, including CPI leader A.B. Bardhan, were busy.