UPA-3? PM keeps door open for both Left, Trinamool Congress

PM Manmohan Singh kept the door open for both the Left parties and the Trinamool Congress to join a possible Cong-led UPA govt for a third term after the next Lok Sabha polls in 2014. Jayanth Jacob reports.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh kept the door open for both the Left parties and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) to join a possible Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government for a third term after the next Lok Sabha elections in 2014.

A combative Singh also slammed the Opposition for its “obstructionist role”, saying it was his “great regret” that essential business of the Parliament has not been conducted because of animosity between the Opposition and the government.

“In politics, there are no permanent allies and no permanent enemies,” Singh said on Friday when asked whether he would reach out to the Left parties or TMC for forming a UPA-3 government.

“These possibilities, some people coming in, some people going out, I think, they have to be accepted as they are,” Singh added.

The Left and TMC are archrivals in West Bengal, which has 42 Lok Sabha seats.

The four Left parties with 61 Lok Sabha MPs gave outside support to UPA-1 but pulled out of the ruling coalition over the India-US nuclear deal. TMC with 19 Lok Sabha MPs was the biggest constituent of UPA-2 but it, too, walked out of the coalition before the term ended.