Stating that it was 'broadly not satisfied' with the economic policies of the United Progressive Alliance government, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said on Friday that the Left parties will meet soon to take a decision regarding resuming participation in the UPA Coordination Committee.
CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat told reporters in Delhi that he had received a letter from UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi [Images], regarding the government's decision to put on hold 10 per cent of its equity in Bharat Heavy Electricals [Get Quote] Limited.
"The matter is settled as far as we are concerned but we had not suspended our participation from the UPA Coordination Committee on this issue alone but on the issue of Navratana public sector companies as a whole," he said.
Karat termed as 'wrong' the decision taken by India to vote against Iran at the International Atomic Energy Agency meeting last month. "Iran is a signatory to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, they also have the right to develop nuclear energy. Moreover, our country acutely needs energy, be it nuclear or LNG," Karat said.
The US did not want a network like the LNG pipeline (Iran-Pakistan-India) with a capacity of five million metric tonnes per year, Karat said.
The Indian government should change its stance, he said, adding that 'they (UPA) are only justifying the stand taken during the voting against Iran at IAEA.'
"We are forming a Committee on October 10 for a campaign on independent foreign policy," he said. A convention would be held in Delhi at the end of October on the issue of foreign policy, he added.
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