Left in touch with all parties,says Karat

The Left parties are in touch with all political parties which can take a stand against the Indo-US nuclear deal, an issue on which they withdrew support to the Government making it a minority.

"I am in touch with all parties which can take a stand against the nuclear deal," Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Prakash Karat told media-persons in Delhi.

Karat was responding to a question as to whether the Left is in touch with other parties in the wake of the government deciding to seek a trust vote in Lok Sabha.

Janata Dal-Secular leader Danish Ali met Karat on Friday afternoon and is understood to have discussed the current political scenario in the wake of Left withdrawing support to the government.

On the current political scenario, Karat said in an interview to party mouthpiece People's Democracy that the UPA government has lost legitimacy after the withdrawal of support by the Left.

"Our stand, irrespective of what others do, is that the Left will vote against the government for its betrayal of national interests," Karat said.

In an obvious reference to Congress' efforts to rope in other parties to gain majority, he said, "One must not forget that the Congress and UPA are losing ground among the people. If anybody wants to hitch their fortunes with Congress, that is their business."

Trying to blunt criticism that their stand is helping communal forces, Karat charged the Congress with not fighting BJP politically and ideologically as the Left does.

"Since the beginning of 2007, we have seen how Congress is failing to check communal forces," Karat said.