TNN
New Delhi, Feb 9: In what can whet the hopes of many non-Congress aspirants for Prime Minister, CPM has declared that it would not support a Congressman for the top job but would not be averse to supporting a non-BJP coalition which also has Congress.
"I can't rule it out, but it seems unlikely," party general secretary Prakash Karat when asked about the possibility of CPM supporting a government in which Congress has a participatory role but was not leading it. The CPM-led Left Front had withdrawn support from the UPA government in July 2008 over the Indo-US nuclear deal, and has not since relaxed its stand
Karat said Left's priority was to work towards a non-BJP and non-Congress formation.
Karat refused to engage in crystal gazing. "I can't say that now what's going to happen. It depends on the situation. I am not very clear about what is going to happen (after Lok Sabha polls)." But he was clear that BJP would not make it to the Centre.
Karat said he was talking to the AIADMK and the BSP while the Left was also been in touch with the TDP in Andhra Pradesh. "By 2009 elections, some alignments will develop, a third alternative will emerge. It will not just be the TDP or AIADMK, others will join us in the third front," he said.
The CPM general secretary said corruption allegations against AIADMK chief J Jayalalitha and BSP supremo Mayawati may not come in the way of the formation of a third front.
"You can't make corruption an issue for deciding the political programme and understanding between political parties. (In this manner) we can't have an understanding with any political party," he added.
Asked about Manmohan Singh of the Left's charges of "betrayal" by going ahead with the signing the Indo-US nuke deal, Karat said, "There is no question of being betrayed. Our problem was that we could not agree with the Congress going ahead with a strategic alliance with the US."
He said the Left "never had problems working with any leader, a minister or the prime minister". It was purely a question of policies the Congress pursued which the Left was opposed to, he added.