PM praises 'visionary leadership' of Basu, Surjeet

PM Manmohan Singh began the debate on the trust motion by praising the "visionary leadership" of Left leaders Jyoti Basu and Harkishen Singh Surjeet.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday began the debate on the trust motion by praising the "visionary leadership" of Left leaders Jyoti Basu and Harkishen Singh Surjeet.

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Kicking off the debate on the trust motion that will decide the fate of his government, Manmohan Singh said: "We are here after a tenure of four years. And the credit goes to all leaders of the UPA."

He specifically mentioned Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leaders Basu and Surjeet, as well as DMK chief and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi as "architects of our coalition government".

The Manmohan Singh government, which in the prime minister's words has completed "four years and two months", was reduced to a minority when the CPI-M led Left withdrew support over differences on the India-US nuclear deal.

The debate, which began Monday will go on till Tuesday. The trust vote will be held after that.