Left rules out support to Cong-led govt

Even as Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today kept open the options for a post-poll tie-up with them, the Left parties made it clear that they would in no case support a Congress-led government at the Centre after the Lok Sabha elections.

“There is no question of our supporting a Congress-led government at the Centre,” CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat told PTI when asked to comment about indications that the prime minister was holding out an olive branch for them.

The Left parties “have problems with the prime minister and his government on policy issues,” CPI leader D Raja said.

He said “the prime minister is speaking different things in different places on different occasions. Just a couple of days ago, he was in Kerala where he accused the Left of always being on the wrong side of history. Now, he says a different thing”.

 

Reacting sharply to Singh’s remark that the Left had often been on the wrong side of history, Karat said the prime minister’s judgment may have been “clouded” as he was on the “right side” of the US.

Referring to Indo-US agreement on partnership for democracy, Karat said: “Being on the ‘right side’, that is of the US, seems to have clouded his judgement” and led to the “anti-communist tirade”.