NEW DELHI: The Left parties met on Tuesday for close to three hours and emerged with a mild, and often repeated, statement on rising prices and disinvestment. Despite the hype created by several Left leaders, the meeting did not discuss the nuclear deal with the United States or the various aspects of the government’s foreign policy.

Left leaders later admitted that the issue was not taken up and could not say if it would be discussed at length at another meeting. The leaders claimed that it would be taken up in parliament, when it meets for the Monsoon Session later this month, but again had no idea in what form and how. This is after CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat had announced the need for an “anti-Congress, anti-BJP third alternative” in Lucknow recently.

The statement on price rise and disinvestment has been issued, in similar language, by the Left parties several times before. A decision was taken to protest against the hike in prices from July 13 to July 19. No such action is planned against the government’s decision to go ahead with the nuclear deal, which has invited strong censure from nuclear scientists all over the country.

Dr Homi Sethna told this newspaper that the deal would dilute Indian sovereignty. A senior Left leader said that the issue “might” be discussed at a later stage, but was clearly not pressing enough to figure at Tuesday’s meeting.

In a statement, the Left said that “bungling” in food policy had led the government into being forced to import wheat on a large scale.

“It is regrettable that the UPA government has so far not taken any effective measures to check the price rise. Many of the state governments too have allowed the public distribution system to be curtailed and not taken any serious measures to strengthen and expand the PDS,” the Left said.—By arrangement with The Asianage