NEW DELHI, 19 September 2004 — Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi promised the leftist allies yesterday to consider their views after they protested the government’s economic reforms including allowing more foreign investment.

Manmohan said he used the 90-minute luncheon meeting with Marxist leaders to discuss the “working of the coalition” and prevent misunderstandings.

The meeting holds significance as it is being held against the backdrop of Left parties stepping up pressure on the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to demand implementation of the common minimum program (CMP).

The prime minister said the government would take into confidence all the UPA partners and “fulfill their expectations”.

Talking to reporters after the meeting between the left leaders, Manmohan and Sonia, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPM) leader Sitaram Yechuri said most of the suggestions made by them would find a “tangible solution” within “a couple of weeks.”

“Various issues regarding the CMP were discussed. He (the prime minister) assured us that most of the issues raised by the CPM will find a tangible shape very shortly,” he added.

Yechuri said the left leaders had been assured that steps would be taken to implement the proposals they have given to the government. “Various government bodies are working on it. Within a couple of weeks most of them will be put in place,” he said.

The CPM politburo on Friday suggested a four-point priority agenda for the Congress-led UPA government. It identified the national employment guarantee scheme and food for work programs, rural infrastructure development, more funds for health services in rural areas and full utilization of the education cess for improvement of education facilities as the priority areas.

CPM General Secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet, veteran party leader Jyoti Basu and Yechuri had the 90-minute meeting at the prime minister’s residence to sort out the differences between the government and the left parties.

However, Yechuri did not state whether the government had given any specific assurances on the left stand on economic policies, especially on the issue of foreign direct investments (FDI).