New Delhi, Mar 21 : The Communist Party of India (CPI) released its manifesto for the coming Lok Sabha elections on Saturday.

The party promised a non- BJP and non-Congress alternative at the Centre to carry forward the "glorious" tradition of anti-imperialism and secular polity.

The manifesto, released by CPI General Secretary A B Bardhan here said the CPI and Left is joining the electoral battle to halt the ruling classes from pursuing "this disastrous course" like the neo-liberal policies of the Congress and BJP''s "communal agenda".

Appreciating the party in preventing a crisis in country''s financial sector, the manifesto said, "The Congress leadership wanted to dilute government equity in banks, preparatory to their eventual privatisation. We (CPI) prevented that... The Congress leadership wanted to privatise the insurance sector. We opposed that... The Congress leadership wanted to hand over the enormous accumulated funds in the Provident Fund and Pension Fund to the private sector for so-called ''efficient management''. We did not allow that. We thus saved the financial sector from the disastrous crisis that has overtaken it in the USA, UK and other capitalist countries."

The manifesto also called for a larger presence of the CPI and Left as a whole in 15th Lok Sabha. (ANI)