CPI(M) may join a non-Congress secular govt at Centre: Karat

CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat on Tuesday said if voters gave a clear verdict to a non-Congress, non-BJP secular government at the Centre in the Lok Sabha polls, his party would consider joining it, unlike in the past.

Noting that a `third front' was in the making, CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat on Tuesday said if voters gave a clear verdict to a non-Congress, non-BJP secular government at the Centre in the Lok Sabha polls, his party would consider joining it, unlike in the past.

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"This is not 2004. This is 2009, he said, addressing a meet-the-press programme here. "There has to be an alternative government here," he said. Indicating that his party had various alliances with regional parties, Karat said a Third Front was "in the making."

Scoffing at the manifesto issued by Congress and BJP, he said there was not much difference in them and both parties are accusing each other of copying their manifesto.

"The Congress manifesto did not have any mention of land reforms, the BJP manifesto "closed its eyes" on the party's promise to re-negotiate the nuclear deal with the US", Karat said.

"There is not much to choose between the Congress and BJP and it is necessary to propose a political alternative. The Congress has already declared the demise of UPA by saying that there will not be any pre-poll alliances with their partners," he said.