Hyderabad, March 26 (IANS) The Communist Party of India (CPI) has decided to work with the United National Progressive Alliance (UNPA) to protest price rise and on other issues. CPI general secretary A.B. Bardhan, who met Telugu Desam Party (TDP) president N. Chandrababu Naidu here Wednesday, said the CPI and the UNPA would jointly fight on people’s issues.

Naidu, a former ally of the Left parties, hosted breakfast for Bardhan and other CPI leaders, who are attending the ongoing 20th national congress of the CPI here.

“We worked together for several years in the United Front and subsequently also. We will be fighting together on peoples’ issues,” Bardhan told newsmen after the breakfast meeting.

“(The) CPI is planning a big agitation against price rise which is affecting all sections of people. We will have a militant movement against price rise April 17 and 18,” he said and hoped that CPI-M would take a similar decision.

“I gathered from Babu (Chandrababu Naidu) that UNPA and TDP will also take a decision in this regard followed by some action,” he said.

The meeting was significant in view of the decision taken by the CPI to build a third alternative.

Bardhan, in his inaugural address at the party meet March 23, had called for building an alternative to both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He had also hinted at working with the UNPA, which comprises regional parties including TDP.

Naidu, who pulled out of an alliance with the BJP following the defeat in 2004 elections, has been trying to come closer to the Left parties.

Talking to newsmen after the meeting with CPI leaders, Naidu said they did not discuss politics at the meeting. He, however, hinted that talks on any alliance with Left parties could be held at the time of elections.

He said they would work together on various issues. He claimed that they were one in opposing the economic policies meant to benefit only a few sections of society.

“We want the benefits of the new economic policies to reach all sections of people,” he said.