New Delhi, May 14
Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s accession as Prime Minister now appears to be almost certain with the Left virtually backing her candidature and having decided to hand over a letter of support to the President.

While the Samajwadi Party and the Nationalist Congress Party, which had raked up her foreign origin issue, were likely to join the Congress-led government, the CPM continued to be ambiguous on its move to be part of the government.

“Do you want any other name? Do you require a long list,” shot back the CPM General Secretary, Mr Harkishen Singh Surjeet, when asked by mediapersons whether any name other than Ms Sonia Gandhi has cropped up for prime ministership.

Asked when they will be going to the President to hand over the letter of support, Mr Surjeet said: “Tomorrow morning we will tell you when we are meeting the President.”

Addressing the mediapersons at his residence after a hectic day of consultations with leaders of various parties, including Ms Sonia Gandhi, Mr Surjeet said the SP would “participate” in the new government, but remained non-committal on whether the Left parties would join the government.

Mr Surjeet said earlier the CPM had decided not to join the government, but the party would take a view on it tomorrow and ruled out any bargaining on the issue.

The CPM could face stiff resistance from the Kerala unit of the party, where the Congress is the principal opposition party. It would be difficult for the party to be cooperating at the Centre and opposing the same at the state level.

However, the West Bengal unit of the party was unlikely to pose any such stiff resistance as the Trinamool Congress has emerged as the principal opposition party.

With the party not wanting to repeat its historic blunder, the Politburo and the central committee have a daunting task at hand.

The Communist leader, who also met NCP leader Sharad Pawar today, said he also would participate in the government led by Ms Sonia Gandhi.

When referred to Mr Pawar’s earlier opposition to Ms Sonia Gandhi’s nomination to the top post because of her “foreign origin”, Mr Surjeet said: “It is an old issue. Why do you want to raise it now? It was (an issue) long back and is over for the NCP.”

He said Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav had put no demands and only wanted to “go along with the CPM.”

“We have succeeded in bringing all secular parties which fought against the BJP under one umbrella,” he said.

Replying to a query, Mr Surjeet said the BSP was not part of it and added: “We are brining together those parties who fought against the BJP earlier on one platform...then we can consider others.”

The CPM General Secretary said RJD leader Laloo Prasad Yadav would meet him tomorrow and DMK supremo Karunanidhi would come a day after and added that he was in touch with all parties that had jointly fought the divisive forces.

Asked about formulating a common minimum programme, he said: “There was no difficulty about it”.