Burdwan, Arambagh (WB): Two days after saying in Kolkata that Congress was open to Left support to form the next government at the Centre, senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee on Friday ruled out the possibility.
"Congress had always formed government at the Centre without the support of Left parties. In 2004, they themselves came forward to support the Congress-led UPA to stop the BJP and save their existence," Mukherjee said in a poll rally at Parul village near Bhatar in Burdwan district.
He said the Left parties were not a political force in the national arena and do not exist outside the three states of West Bengal, Kerala and Tripura.
Mukherjee said at another election rally at Arambagh in Hooghly district that he saw no chance of the Third Front coming to power at the Centre as indicated by the voting trends.
In two of the three CPM-ruled states -- Kerala and Tripura -- the voting trends indicated that the Third Front was not able to take off, Mukherjee, also the External Affairs Minister, told election meetings in Hooghly and Burdwan districts.
After the results come out, it would be proved that the Third Front was not at all a viable political alternative and was merely an imaginary thing, he said.