Karat urges government to seek mandate for US deal

Thiruvananthapuram: Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Prakash Karat on Monday demanded that the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) at the Centre seek a fresh mandate from the people if it wanted to go ahead with the proposed strategic alliance with the United States.

Karat's statement is significant considering that his party is a key partner of the UPA that supports the alliance from the outside.

"We have made it clear that a government supported by us would not be allowed to forge such an alliance with the US. If the Congress desires to strike a strategic alliance with the US, it should take the issue to the people in the Lok Sabha polls," Karat said on Monday. He was in Kottayam to participate in the inaugural session of the state conference of the party.