Yechury for ‘constructive’ UPA-Left meets

After the UPA’s first anniversary bash on May 22, the Left parties will hold discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Cha...

After the UPA’s first anniversary bash on May 22, the Left parties will hold discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi on making the UPA-Left coordination meetings much more ‘‘constructive’’ and ‘‘structured’’.

While talking to reporters on Thursday, CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechury agreed that the UPA-Left coordination mechanism has slackened in recent months. He said these have largely become breakfast meetings with little or no fixed agenda.

Yechury disagreed that as a mechanism, the UPA-Left coordination instrument had failed. But, he said, it could be better organised and made a more meaningful forum.

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The first few meetings went off well with the UPA leadership sending them (the Left) the agenda in advance and keeping them informed about the nature of discussions that would take place. Of late, there have been complaints that the Left was finding it difficult to voice its objections in advance. The UPA meetings were being convened only after decisions had been taken. Yechury felt that some rectifications could be introduced into the format and the meetings made much more significant.

CPM hits back at Advani

Hitting back at BJP chief L.K. Advani for his anti-Left statements at a CII meet, the CPI(M) on Wednesday said he was ‘‘rattled’’ by the Left demand for a CBI probe into the Centaur disinvestment. ‘‘The party was of the view that a man who himself was chargesheeted in the Ayodhya case and who manipulated the CBI as home minister to get himself acquitted was now advising the UPA Government on good governance,’’ the release said. —PTI