Left parties don't consider Cong as untouchable

The Left parties don't consider Congress as "untouchable" but are trying to form a Third Front government at the Centre and may join it if they can play a meaningful role in it, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said today.  

He parried a question on the issue of supporting a Congress-led government, saying, "It is too early to comment who is going to support whom. At the moment we are trying to form a government without Congress and BJP".  Asked whether the CPI(M) considers the Congress to be untouchable, he said, "We don't believe in untouchability."        

Bhattarcharjee said, "We are trying to form a Third Front government at the Centre with like-minded secular and democratic parties and the Left will play a meaningful role in it.         

"The Left will join a Third Front government if it can play a meaningful role in policy making and implementation," the Chief Minister told the 'meet the press' programme here.  

"Let the elections be over and results be announced. Right now, we are trying to defeat the Congress and the BJP," he said.    

He said that the CPI-M politburo would meet on May 18 after the counting on May 16 to discuss the matter.