Sunday, January 8 2006 14:23 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Agartala: Communist Party of India (CPI) Marxist (M) general secretary Prakash Karat today (Jan 8,2006) threw his full support behind party MP and politburo member Brinda Karat's allegations against Swami Ramdev.

He said that the questions she raised about the formulation of the ayurvedic medicine sold by Swami Ramdev and the labour relation in the factory where the medicines are made are not her individual opinion. They are as much of the CPI-M's as the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU).

Karat, who arrived here today to address a rally of his party's peasant wing, said that hailing from Kerala, he knew what strict regulations went into making a herbal preparation. But, in India most of the ayurvedic medicines sold were not prepared under the regulations that were required, he alleged.

Asked by newsmen if he was aware that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had offered to resign in the wake of the party's strong opposition on the Indo-US joint military exercise at Kalaikunda air base in West Midanapore district in West Bengal in November, Karat said he was hearing it for the first time.

''This is for the first time, I am hearing such news that the Prime Minister had offered to quit,'' Karat told reporters when he was asked to comment on the news that appeared in some vernacular dailies here quoting a national web-site.

''As a party, we have full right to oppose the Indo-US joint military exercise in West Bengal and we did exactly that. I met Prime Minister to convey our party's reservation on the issue,'' he said.

He made it clear that a state government cannot take stand on a defence matter and the decision of the central government is final in this regard. However, the central Government had taken the decision without providing advance information to the host state.

Karat said that the CPI (M) would oppose US President George Bush's visit to India in March by holding protest-rallies.