New Delhi: Left parties today (May 16, 2004) deferred a decision on their participation in the new Congress-led Government at the Centre till tomorrow amidst strong indications that the parties will not join it but only extend support from outside.

Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPM), Communist Party of India (CPI) and two other Left parties Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and Forward Bloc are understood to have already given their letter of support to Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

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The four Communist parties would hold a joint meeting here tomorrow to finalise their stand on participation as well as the Common Minimum Programme.

The parties individually held their meetings throughout the day today but failed to arrive at a consensus on the issue of participation in the Government with an overwhelming opinion against joining.

This follows significant differences in the economic policies of the Left and the leader of the coalition Congress that could prove detrimental to the Left parties in case they joined the Government, sources said.