Agartala: The Congress had taken the Left parties' support only to keep "communal forces" out of power, External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee said.

The Congress leader was here to boost the party's campaign for the Feb 23 assembly elections in Tripura. Before leaving the state, Mukherjee released the party manifesto and addressed a press conference.

While the Left parties support the Congress-led central government from outside, the two sides are fighting each other in several states, including Tripura.

To a question, Mukherjee said that the Left parties' support to the central government was a political obligation to prevent the "communal forces" from coming to power.

"There is always an uncertainty in the coalition government. The Congress has shown maximum patience to run the government for its full five-year term with the support of the Left parties," Mukherjee said.

"In New Delhi, the Congress is taking the support of the Left parties, but in Kerala, West Bengal and in Tripura they are our main rival parties and there is no question to be soft with them in these states."

Responding to the Left parties' allegation that the Congress had entered into an electoral alliance with the Indigenous Nationalist Party of Tripura (INPT), which according to them is an over-ground force of a militant wing, Mukherjee said the Congress had been trying to bring the misguided youths into the mainstream.

"Former prime ministers Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Punjab chief minister Beant Singh sacrificed their lives while tackling separatist activities in India," the minister said.

Source : IANS