Friday, September 22 2006 11:34 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: A day after Kerala's DIC(K) ledby K Karunakaran decided to merge with NCP, CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat met NCP chief Sharad Pawar here this evening and said the acceptance of the former Chief Minister in ruling LDF would have to be discussed by all Left parties.

Karunakaran is a known detractor of CPI(M)-led LDF of which NCP is a partner. The Left parties have voiced serious reservations about Karunakaran's "backdoor" entry into LDF.

After the hour-long meeting, Karat said while CPI(M) had nothing to do with the proposed merger of DIC(K) and NCP as it was for them to decide, "But as far as the LDF is concerned, the matter will have to be discussed by our party and the other LDF partners. There is a background to the opposition" to Karunakaran.

The CPI(M) has been opposing the octogenarian leader for over three decades on various issues, including the killing of its student leader Rajan in police custody in 1970s when Karunakaran was the state Home Minister.

NCP spokesman D P Tripathi, who also attended the deliberations, said the meeting remained inconclusive and a final decision would be arrived at after Karat holds talks with other LDF partners.

The CPI had yesterday strongly opposed Karunakaran's 'backdoor' entry into LDF with party General Secretary A B Bardhan saying the merger of these two parties could not be an internal matter of NCP as the issue is only of Karunakaranand nobody else. What will you say if we admit L K Advani in our party?.

Karat said Pawar also briefed him on his views regarding credit policy for farmers, including providing them loans uptoRs three lakhs on a seven per cent interest.