Left rules out support to Cong

As Rahul Gandhi tried to woo them, the Left on Tuesday claimed that the Sonia Gandhi-led party had become "jittery" and said they were striving only for a non-Congress, non-BJP alternative coalition at the Centre.

As Rahul Gandhi tried to woo them, the Left on Tuesday claimed that the Sonia Gandhi-led party had become "jittery" and said they were striving only for a non-Congress, non-BJP alternative coalition at the Centre.

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While CPI said Congress had become "jittery" as it may not get the required numbers to form the government, CPI(M) said the combination which would form a government at the Centre would be decided only after the elections as in all the recent elections held in 1996, 1998 and 2004.

"This is not the time to speculate what will happen after the elections. In 1996, 1998, 2004 and in 2009 as well, the combination that will form government will only be forged after the elections," CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury told PTI.

He said as far as the Left is concerned, "we are working for a non-Congress, non-BJP secular alternative combination to provide a government that will effect a shift in the country's policy trajectory in favour of the people".

"I don't think the Left will oblige them this time... Whoever be the candidate, we are not going to support a Congress government or a Congress-led government," he said.

CPI leader D Raja termed the attempts by Gandhi to woo the Left parties is "an admission of their defeat" in the elections, which he said would throw up a non-Congress, non-BJP alternative coalition. "This is an admission that Congress is losing. It is an admission of their own defeat," Raja said, adding that he was confident that the Left efforts to make a non-Congress, non-BJP alternative come to power at the Centre would succeed.

Maintaining that the Left had supported a Congress-led coalition for four-and-a-half years to prevent BJP from coming to power, he said, "Congress was responsible (for the break up with the Left)... It betrayed the trust of the Left and therefore of the entire nation."

Raja said the Left parties had "serious differences" with Congress on several issues and the Indo-US nuclear deal was "only one of them". "It does not seem at all that Congress is doing any introspection as to why this relationship (with Left) was destroyed. It continues to pursue the same neo-liberal policies," he said.

At a press conference, Gandhi said Congress and the Left had common ground on several issues and exuded confidence that the Communists could support a Congress-led government.