Kolkata, Apr 29 : Coming down heavily on the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government for failing to rein in spiralling inflation, the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) on Tuesday warned that it will take necessary steps to force the Centre to change its policy on the issue.

“Whatever method we have to take to force the government to change its policy, we will do,” CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat told reporters, adding, “We are already launching agitations on price rise along with other (UNPA) parties.”

Talking about the Left parties meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on April 16, he said: “It seems that the government is callous to the suffering of the people from the price rice.”

“The Congress' economic and neo-liberal policies are responsible for inflation and the price rise,” Karat added.

He went on to say that the government’s ‘refusal’ to prohibit private companies and foreign companies from forward trading on 25 essential commodities, “reveals the bias of the Union government in favour of the big business and trading companies at the expense of people's interest.”

Revealing the decisions taken during the Politburo meeting, Karat said that mass picketing would be organised across the country May 15 outside Central government offices, adding that pickets would not be organised in Karnataka and West Bengal where assembly and panchayat elections are scheduled.

“Price rise is because of the policies of the government. We have to fight against these policies,” he said.

He also said that the wholesale price index had shown a rise of 7.33 percent for the week ended April 15 and there seems to be “no respite for the people due to steep increase in the prices of food items.” (ANI)