Left not responsible if UPA Government falls: Karat

New Delhi, Mar 14: Notwithstanding its strained ties with the ruling UPA over the nuclear deal, the CPI (M) has said the Central government will last its full term and the Left parties will not be responsible if it falls.

"It (government) will last its full term. If the government falls, it won't be because of us," CPI (M) General Secretary Prakash Karat, whose party along with their allies give the crucial outside support to the UPA government, told a newsmagazine. He noted that the government was stable because of the Left support, which backs the government "on the basis of a policy framework".

The Left parties have threatened to withdraw support to the government if it went ahead with the civil nuclear deal with the US.

Karat said the Left parties gave the go ahead to the government to hold talks with the IAEA as it had agreed to bring the draft safeguards agreement to the UPA-Left panel on the nuclear deal.

"From July 2005, we were constantly being presented with a fait accompli (by the government). But (in November 2007) when indications came that the government was willing to bring back the IAEA draft to the UPA-Left Committee, we agreed.

"The government showed flexibility, so we showed flexibility. But our basic position has not changed -- the government cannot go ahead with the nuclear deal," he said.

ANI