Karat told The Indian Express that the issues concerning the Chinese firms would be taken up soon, though not at the next UPA-Left coordination meeting slated for October 4. The Vizhinjam case is only one of the many that have upset the CPI(M).

CPI(M) MP Tapan Sen, who wrote to the Prime Minister after the Airports Authority of India rejected Chinese company Shenzen Cimac Tianda Airport Support Ltd’s bid for supplying and commissioning aerobridges, said the security issue was being used as a bogey to edge out the Chinese and prevent them from competing.

Chinese were able to keep low costs compared to European companies which made them competitive. “The general perception is that the Left is taking up the issue (of Chinese companies being dropped from key projects) because China is a Socialist country.

But we believe that in each of these cases, the matter has been handled in a totally non-transparent manner. In every case, the government exchequer is also the biggest loser because the Chinese are the lowest bidders,” said Sen referring to the aerobridges contract where the other offer was from a Spanish company that bid more than two times the Chinese.

In Left-ruled West Bengal, the story is different. The Chinese company Dong Fang was favoured over BHEL for a power plant in Sagardighi and for adding capacity to a plant in Durgapur.

That decision came even though the BHEL union is affiliated to CPI(M)’s trade union wing CITU. But, the Left Front government defended the decision saying the Chinese were the lowest bidders.