By IANS,
London : Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat has ruled out supporting any Congress-led alliance after the elections – “whatever the circumstances”.
The Marxists will not support the Congress even if it were the only way to prevent the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from coming to power, Karat told the BBC’s Hindi-language service in an exclusive interview.
“That (preventing the BJP’s return to power at any cost) was our slogan in the 2004 elections. This time we are going to the people with an appeal to defeat the Congress as well.”
Karat said his stance had won the approval of the CPI-M Central Committee and denied the Third Front was an opportunistic alliance.
“We have a shared ideology on [anti-economic reform] and we are all opposed to a strategic relationship with the US. Also we favour a truly federal structure in a country as vast as India.”
Ruling himself out of the race for prime ministership, he said, “Many leaders are competent. From our point of view we have no pre-conceived notions on who the prime minister should be. We are more concerned about the policies of the next government.”
“I am very happy being the party general secretary and would rather retain this than have any other role in public life,” he added.
–Indo-Asian News SErvice