Deliberate attempt to impair ties with UPA: Karat

Dec 15, 2007, 9:41 GMT

New Delhi, Dec 15 (IANS) In an apparent effort to allay fears of an imminent falling out between the Left and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat Saturday said reports in some sections of the media were 'calculated to create an atmosphere of insecurity about the central government'.

Karat alleged he had been misquoted in an interview in India Today magazine. Issuing a statement denying he had given a warning that 'political parties need to be prepared for elections any time', Karat said there was a 'deliberate attempt to impair relation between the Left and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)'.

He was reacting to his interview appearing in the latest issue of India Today. Karat was chosen as the newsmaker of the year by the weekly.

'The alleged remarks 'If this is the issue they want to break up with us on, all political parties need to be prepared for elections any time' were not made by me,' he said in a statement.

'I had given written answers to the questions put by India Today, the transcript of which is available. Neither was the question 'And if they do proceed(with the nuclear deal)? Are you prepared for elections?' put to me nor have I replied in such a manner,' he said.

Karat, whose CPI-M and other Left parties have been opposing the India-US nuclear deal, has recently been quoted saying at a party meeting that the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government would not be allowed to go ahead with the deal after its talks with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

However, he has denied giving any ultimatum to the government, to which the Left extends a crucial parliamentary support.

'It is significant that such reports are appearing on the eve of the polling for the Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh assembly elections. It is unfortunate that the India Today has resorted to such dubious journalism,' Karat charged.

© 2007 Indo-Asian News Service