Date:29/10/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/10/29/stories/2008102960431500.htm

National

“PM, Chidambaram yet to admit mistakes”

HYDERABAD: Communist Party of India general secretary A.B. Bardhan has criticised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram and others who advocated neo-liberal policies for “not admitting their mistakes” despite the global financial turmoil.

“Several people who termed neo-liberal policies of globalisation and liberalisation the last word in evolution are revising their views and admitting that the free market economy has come to an end,” Mr. Bardhan said. But Dr. Singh, Mr. Chidambaram and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia were yet to admit this.

Mr. Bardhan was addressing a meeting after unveiling a bust of Communist leader Chandra Rajeswara Rao here on Tuesday.

Asserting that everything the Left parties fought for was proving correct, he said the country was not sucked into the global crisis owing to the fight inspired by the Marxist and Leninist ideals.

The Left supported the UPA government on condition that it would defend secularism and ensure that capitalism did not ruin the economy, besides insisting that unilateralism in international relations be opposed. “Unfortunately, the UPA did not carry out the CMP and of late, there seems to be a realisation on the part of the UPA leadership that parting ways with the Left was, perhaps, not correct,” he said.