Date:03/02/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/03/stories/2008020355331000.htm

National

Bardhan for Left Democratic Alternative

Special Correspondent

BHUBANESWAR: General secretary of Communist Party of India A.B. Bardhan on Saturday blamed both the Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party for the countless problems facing a vast majority of the people in the country and stressed the need for a Left Democratic Alternative to keep both the parties out of power at the Centre.

“We want an alternative to both these parties that have ruled the country alternately,” Mr. Bardhan said at a press conference here.

The situation had worsened under the rule of these two parties, he said.

The findings of the Arjun Sengupta Committee on the Unorganised Sector that 83.6 crore people in the country were surviving on less that Rs.20 a day spoke volumes about the sorry state of affairs, Mr. Bardhan said.

With regard to Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram’s statement about nine per cent growth in gross domestic product, the CPI leader said this so called growth had not improved the life over a vast majority of the people.