Left makes a U-turn, starts praising PM

Making up: Prakash Karat told The Telegraph that the Left respects the PM's honesty and integrity.

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• 'Nandigram matter of concern, not shame'
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Keywords: Upa, Manmohan Singh

New Delhi: In an exclusive interview to Kolkata-based daily, The Telegraph, CPM General Secretary Prakash Karat made obvious overtures to the Prime Minister, saying that the Left respected the PM’s honesty and unquestioned integrity.

Karat also refused to blame the prime minister for the political crisis over the nuclear deal, saying that it was over divergent positions, not personal differences, adding that the Prime Minister's support for the deal was out of his strong convictions.

Karat clarified that though the CPM’s stand on the Indo-US nuclear deal was unchanged, there was no threat to the UPA govt from the Left.

In fact, he offered a palliative, saying that if the government scrapped the nuclear deal under pressure from the Left, it would go the rest of its term without fear of being hounded by the CPM.

Karat quashed suggestions that there was a basic lack of trust between the Left and the PM saying that he did not agree with those who felt Manmohan singh should step down if he could not go ahead with the agreement.

On the three-month-long face-off, Karat said "It is true that there has been a basic difference in approach between the Prime Minister and the Left on the nuclear agreement. We recognise that he has strong convictions on the soundness and utility of the agreement. Our differing view on the agreement does not mean that we do not have respect for the Prime Minister. His integrity is unquestioned."

Karat also refused to blame the Prime Minister for starting the political crisis over the nuclear deal. “The political stand-off arose because of divergent positions and not personal differences,” he said.

The CPM general secretary also dismissed the view that Singh would lose prestige if he continued in office by giving up the deal.

"As the Prime Minister heading a coalition government without the backing of a parliamentary majority for the deal, his not going ahead despite his firm conviction that it is a good deal will not detract from his stature," he said, adding: "This situation (of leaders not having their way) is well understood in coalitional politics around the world."

CPI leader D Raja also told CNN-IBN that Left parties never meant any disrespect to the PM and that efforts are on to sort out differences with the UPA on the nuclear deal and other economic issues.