PM signs off showing Left the right direction

Ludhiana: Apparently wooing the Left for support, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday said all secular parties had an obligation to provide a "purposeful, secular" government at the Centre and prevent the NDA from coming to power at "all cost".

He said allies of the UPA, which were "unhappy", could be mollified but ruled out support to any government led by the Left parties arguing that they would not get more seats than the Congress.

"I always believe that all secular forces have an obligation to work together to give the country a purposeful, secular government," Singh told a press conference when asked specifically about whether he would appeal to the Left to again support a UPA government.

To a question whether the Indo-US civil nuclear deal could be a sticky issue on forging ties with the Left, he said, "I think it is not an issue now. It has been signed, sealed and operationalised. It cannot be an issue for dialogue."

"There is a wider purpose to give the country a purposeful, secular government for which all secular forces should vote together," he said.

On the NDA rally held in the city on Sunday, Singh said "You heard (Gujarat Chief Minister) Narendra Modi's tone at the NDA rally yesterday. It indicates the kind of government they want to have. This must be avoided at all cost."

Asked about UPA allies like RJD, LJP and Samajwadi Party expressing disenchantment with the Congress, Singh said, "I have no doubt that the UPA will form government. Politics is the art of the possible. Those who are unhappy can be mollified."

To a question, he said, "some kind of government" will have to be formed after the results come out as there was no provision for President's Rule at the Centre.

"But what kind of government will be formed, we have to be patient till May

16," he said.

The Prime Minister ruled out support to the Left for formation of government, saying they will not get more seats than Congress. "The question does not arise."

Taking a dig at the unity show presented by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners in Ludhiana on Sunday, Singh that the split in the NDA "is very much there" and would begin to show after the elections.

"It is wrong to say that the NDA has not split. The BJD and the TDP (Biju Janata Dal of Orissa and Telugu Desam Party of Andhra Pradesh) are no longer there. The split is very much there. It will be even more after the elections," the prime minister said while addressing the media in this industrial city of Punjab on the last day of campaigning for the final phase of elections.

ON NITISH KUMAR

Singh criticised Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for shaking hands with Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and claimed the Janata Dal-United leader’s secularism was in doubt.

"There is no doubt that Nitish Kumar professes to be a secular leader. But yesterday after seeing him shake hands with Modi, a doubt did arise in my mind," Singh said.

ON HANGING AFZAL

Singh rejected the Bharatiya Janata Party’s charge that the Government was delay hanging Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru.

"There is a set of procedure laid down. That procedure has to be completed," he said.

"How long the procedure would take, it is not for me to say," Singh said.

(With inpus from IANS)