Not to support either Cong or BJP led govt: Karat

NI Wire

New Delhi

Fri, 08 May 2009: 

Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Prakash Karat flanked by Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Naveen Patnaik said here on Friday that the Third Front was well poised to form non-Congress, non-BJP government, speaking completely against the CPI (M) Polit Bureau member Sitaram Yechury, who has left the door aj for the post-poll alliance with Congress.

Prakash Karat, who was in Orissa today to talk on the post-poll scenario with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, told reporters after the meeting that he came here to discuss with Patnaik how to work out an alliance devoid of Congress or BJP.

“We will work to form a non-BJP, non-Congress government,” Karat said and added no party was in position to get absolute majority to form its government on its own at the Centre.

“The Third Front is poised to make a serious bid to form government. I hope the secular, non-Congress parties will come together with us,” he said.

The non-Congress secular parties would like Naveen Patnaik to play a key role in the formation of non-Congress, non-BJP government at the Centre after the elections, he said after getting alleged assurance from the BJD chief that his party would be a key constituent of the Third Front.

Naveen Patnaik, whose party formed alliance with the CPI, CPM and the NCP in both the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections after snapping decade-long ties with BJP ahead of the elections, said: “we will neither support the Congress nor the BJP-led government at the Centre.”

BJD leader, who has not yet open its card clearly whether his party would be a part of the Third Front government, if comes, at the Centre, also said his party would get people’s absolute mandate to come back to the power in Orissa.