Karat for non-Congress secular government, Patnaik not to back UPA,NDA

New Delhi, Apr 23 (ANI): Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Prakash Karat has ruled out the possibility of forming a post-poll alliance with the with the Congress party.

In an exclusive interview with TIMESNOW, Karat clarified that his party's aim is to see that there is a "non-Congress secular government."

He revealed that in the event of the CPI (M) failing to do so, it "would prefer to sit in the opposition."

"We are not going to prop up a Congress-like government at the Centre," he said.

Pointing out that the real issue in this election would be whether to form a Congress-led government or an alternative government, Karat said, "I don't think the situation is going to repeat itself as in 2004. I think this time the choice will be to have a secular government."

On the other hand, speaking to the channel on Thursday, Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik gave his definite stand on an alliance with the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Patnaik, who had previously blamed communal violence in Orissa, especially the Kandhamal district for snapping its ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said that his party will not back any kind of alliance with BJP-led NDA or Congress-led UPA in Centre.

Patnaik, who has kept content with the seat-sharing agreement with his new allies, the Communist Part of India (CPI), the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) in Orissa, said he will keep a close watch for alliances in state and the Centre.

He also mentioned that the phase two elections are as significant to him as the phase one polls. (ANI)