Cong as ally? Never say never: Karat

In an effort to reduce the growing irrelevance of the Left, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat on Sunday did not discount the possibility of support to a Congress-led government in future.

He said “never” was a word he wouldn’t use on the question of supporting another Congress-led government. “I see no possibility of this Congress-led government not lasting its full term,” Karat said, when asked if his party would again support the Congress after condemning the Centre’s economic and foreign policies.

However, he counterbalanced his position by asking the Centre to come clean on Maoists supporting Monday’s proposed Trinamool Congress rally in West Midnapore, Bengal.

“Tomorrow (August 9) in West Bengal, the Trinamool has convened a rally at Lalgarh with the full support of Maoists. This is a joint rally of the Trinamool and Maoists. We would like to know from the Centre what they feel about this collaboration. We would like to know how they see a member of the Union cabinet (railway minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also Trinamool president) in this. Earlier the Union home minister said there was no proof of any collaboration. Tomorrow it will be out in the open,” Karat said.

Karat has been blamed in various quarters for the Left’s repeated electoral reverses in its former bastions West Bengal and Kerala.