I am not an astrologer, says PM on Left's return

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said he cannot predict whether the Left will join a Congress-led coalition in future but still nursed hopes of convincing them that the Indo-US nuclear deal on which the alliance broke protected the country's essential interests.

"I am not an astrologer," the Prime Minister said when asked by reporters about the possibility of the Left returning to the UPA coalition.

Singh however said he felt "very sad when our Left colleagues parted company" in June over the deal.

"I still have not given up hope to carry conviction with them that what we have done (the nuclear deal) protects all the essential interests of our country," Singh said.

The Prime Minister said the nuke deal was protected the country's strategic programme and opened up new options to manage its energy situation and is part of a policy which would widen the development options.

"So I sincerely believe that whether it is the BJP or the Left if they look objectively there is nothing in the nuclear deal which will hurt the interests of the country," he said.

The Prime Minister said he would like all friendly like-minded segments of the population to work together to resolve all major problems--social, political, economic.

India is on the verge of great opportunities and the challenge to the country is not so much from external environment as how we manage our domestic politics, he said.

"I would like all political parties to pool their wisdom, knowledge and experience to deal collectively with all national problems that applies to the Left, that applies to the BJP, that applies to everyone," he said. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said he cannot predict whether the Left will join a Congress-led coalition
in future but still nursed hopes of convincing them that the Indo-US nuclear deal on which the alliance broke protected the country's essential interests.

"I am not an astrologer," the Prime Minister said when asked by reporters about the possibility of the Left returning to the UPA coalition.

Singh however said he felt "very sad when our Left colleagues parted company" in June over the deal.

"I still have not given up hope to carry conviction with them that what we have done (the nuclear deal) protects all the essential interests of our country," Singh said.

The Prime Minister said the nuke deal was protected the country's strategic programme and opened up new options to manage its energy situation and is part of a policy which would widen the development options.

"So I sincerely believe that whether it is the BJP or the Left if they look objectively there is nothing in the nuclear deal which will hurt the interests of the country," he said.

The Prime Minister said he would like all friendly like-minded segments of the population to work together to resolve all major problems--social, political, economic.

India is on the verge of great opportunities and the challenge to the country is not so much from external environment as how we manage our domestic politics, he said.

"I would like all political parties to pool their wisdom, knowledge and experience to deal collectively with all national problems that applies to the Left, that applies to the BJP, that applies to everyone," he said.