Tuesday, April 12 2005 20:15 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Notwithstanding its criticism of the economic policies of the coalition it supports and the talk of third front, CPM (Communist Party of India-Marxist) today (Apr 12, 2005) said the UPA (United Progressive Alliance) Government will not fall because of the Left parties.

It also does not envisage that the Assembly polls in Kerala and West Bengal next year could spell trouble for the Government in Delhi because coalition partners at the Centre would be fighting each other there.

A day after his election as General Secretary of CPM, Prakash Karat, however, cautioned the Congress against deviating from the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) and wanted it maintain "political cohesion" of the alliance.

"History shows that whichever Government was supported by the Left, had not fallen because of our taking any step. We have not precipitated any fall of government," he told PTI in a wide-ranging interview in New Delhi.

He said this time too, similar was the situation provided the UPA "continued with the pro-people policies in the CMP and maintained political cohesion as an alliance".

In the interview, Karat talked about issues ranging from the third front to attempts to make inroads in the Hindi belt and the contentious FDI policies pursued by the UPA Government in crucial sectors.

Replying to questions, Karat said it was for the Congress, "as a leading party", to maintain cohesion of the UPA. "It is not our job as we are not in the alliance (Government)".

Asked about the polls in West Bengal and Kerala, he said these elections would not be a "turning point or landmark" for the Central coalition, despite his party's firm belief that all "anti-Marxist" forces would come together. "We are prepared to face that."

He stated this when asked about Congress plans to woo Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress in West Bengal and the dissidence in the Congress in Kerala led by former Chief Minister K Karunakaran. Karat described the Kerala dissidence as an "internal matter" of Congress.

On the proposed 'third alternative', the CPM leader gave the impression that his party would not do anything in haste as it did not want a "fragile" alliance, apparently in the wake of the People's Front experience.

Not ruling out the possibility of such a front of non-Congress, non-BJP parties which were secular and democratic, Karat said his party wanted such an alternative to be created through joint activities by the partners on the basis of a common policy platform, instead of merely being an electoral grouping.

"We don't want to do anything in haste. We don't want a fragile alliance. Lot of ground work has to be done and we have to bind the parties together through joint activities."