The CPM on Tuesday said it will soon announce steps to “compel” the Congress-led government to change the policy of controlling price rise of essential items. The CPM is of the view that the UPA government has failed to control price rise in the essential items segment.

“We’re mulling serious steps and we’ll not hesitate to take them to compel the government to change its policy,” CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat said after a Politburo meeting.

But Karat did not comment on whether the CPM will withdraw support to the government over the issue of price rise. According to him, it is the “economic and neo-liberal policies” of the Congress that is responsible for inflation.
Moreover, Sonia Gandhi was criticised for opening old wounds regarding the Nandigram issue. Gandhi’s criticism of lawlessness in West Bengal had wrongly rubbed the CPM.

 “She is ignorant about West Bengal and hence, there is no need to attach any importance to her observations about the state,” CPM leader Jyoti Basu said.

“We’ve already made our reservations clear on the UPA’s handling of price rise,” Karat said. “We’ve also staged a series of agitation on the issue along with other UNPA parties,” he explained. “It seems that the government is callous to the sufferings of the people...,” he said. Basu said the party has not discussed anything on allowing state transport minister Subhas Chakraborty into the CPM central committee.