'Strong' Left not to destabilise UPA after polls

New Delhi, Apr 20: Refuting suggestions that a 'stronger Left' would pull down the Manmohan Singh government after the Assembly polls, the Left parties today asserted that they would not act as a ''destabilising force'' for the UPA regime.

The Assembly polls could not be treated as a referendum on the Congress-led coalition at the Centre, the Left leaders said while warning that the UPA's stability and longevity, however, would depend on its ''faithful adherence'' to the Common Minimum Programme.

After the ongoing polls to five Assemblies, the Left parties will analyse the emerging poltical situation first individually followed by collective and comprehensive discussion, they said adding discussions would be held with other political parties who cooperate with them on an ''issue-to-issue'' basis.

In the coming issue of the party mouthpiece 'People's Democracy', CPI (M) General Secretary Prakash Karat foresaw a more aggressive role for the Left after the assembly elections.

''The victory of the LDF (in Kerala) will strengthen the Left's intervention further,'' says Mr Karat. ''The Left stand in pressing the UPA government to implement the pro-people measures of the CMP, opposition to privatisation of profitable PSUs, FDI in retail trade and to the UPA government's pro-US foreign policy stance such as on the Iran nuclear issue, are also being taken to the people.''

UNI