Left upping the ante, wooing small parties

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New Delhi, Jul 17 : In an effort to divert the public attention from the crisis the CPI(M) is facing over Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee’s open diffidence against the party top brass, the Left parties on Thursday trained its guns on the UPA and accelerated moves to defeat the government in the vote of confidence scheduled on July 22.

Apart from meeting leaders of smaller parties, the Left assailed the Congress leadership for ‘‘taking recourse to convicted criminals’’ for sustaining the UPA government. The Left leadership, in the dock after the cadres started questioning the decision to vote with the BJP against the deal, also tried to make it clear that the opposition of the Left and the BJP against the deal is of different nature.

Meanwhile, RLD leader Ajit Singh met CPI general secretary AB Bardhan here and discussed the current political scenario. Singh told Bardhan that he is opposed to the Indo-US nuclear deal. ‘‘He said the government should rather concentrate on the traditional energy sources like water and wind,’’ Bardhan told FE. The veteran leader added that the RLD is yet to take a stand on the question of trust vote.

JMM leader Shibu Soren, who wants his birth in the Cabinet back for the five votes his party has in Lok Sabha, also had a telephonic conversation with Bardhan. Both the leaders may meet at the end of this week.

Upping the ante, a statement by the CPI(M) politburo said that the Congress is taking all possible measures to continue in the government. ‘‘It is reported that some of the Lok Sabha members who have been convicted for serious crimes and who are in jail are being mobilised to support the confidence vote in the Lok Sabha,’’ the party said citing the cases of three MPs, Pappu Yadav, Mohd. Shahabuddin and Suraj Bhan, who were just released on vote to attend the trust vote.

‘‘While legally they may get the right to attend parliament and vote there is a question of political morality involved. The Congress will be seen by the entire country as taking recourse to convicted criminals for sustaining their government,’’ it added. Pappu Yadav is convicted for the murder of Ajit Sarkar, a CPI(M) MLA.