The Hindu : National : UPA taking support of Left, SP for granted: Amar Singh

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Saturday, Mar 12, 2005

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UPA taking support of Left, SP for granted: Amar Singh

By Our Staff Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MARCH 11. The Samajwadi Party (SP) general secretary, Amar Singh, today reminded the Left parties that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was taking their support for granted.

Addressing a rally of bank employees, organised by the All India Bank Employees Association (AIBEA) here today, Mr. Singh said he was not asking the Left parties to withdraw their support, but emphasised the combined strength of the Left and the Samajwadi Party in the Lok Sabha.

``The anti-people policies of the Government have become unbearable now. We want to remind the Left parties that they, along with the SP, have 103 Members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha,'' Mr. Singh said, adding that the UPA believed that the Left and SP MPs could only shout but cannot pull down the Government.

Mr. Singh also accused the UPA of ``deliberately'' ignoring the national common minimum programme (NCMP) under ``international'' pressure. The UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi, had announced the NCMP soon after the alliance came to power.

``While the farmers, particularly in Andhra Pradesh, were committing suicide, the rich were siphoning off the money of the banking sector,'' he alleged, adding that this money could have been used for agricultural and industrial growth. The money of the banking sector was being used in speculation of the share market, he alleged.

The employees presented to him a report on defaulting companies prepared by the association and released by the CPI leader, Gurudas Dasgupta, yesterday.

Mr. Singh was accompanied by the SP MPs, Jaya Pradha and Akhilesh Yadav.

The AIBEA was protesting against the ``dilution'' of the Government's equity in public sector banks, increased Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in private sector banks and unwarranted merger of public sector banks. The employees also wanted expansion of public sector banks, nationalisation of private banks, adequate credit to agriculture, small-scale industry at a cheaper rate of interest and recovery of bad loans.

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