Notwithstanding his party's stiff opposition to the Indo-US nuclear deal, veteran Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Jyoti Basu on Friday said that the party wanted the Manmohan Singh government to continue in office.
"We want the government to continue in office," the 94-year-old Marxist leader told reporters after attending the party's state committee meeting in Kolkata.
Basu said party general secretary Prakash Karat, who also attended Friday's meeting, has briefed him about the talks held at the UPA-Left Coordination Committee meeting on the nuclear deal.
Referring to Karat's talks with the Samajwadi Party, Telugu Desam Party and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leaders in an attempt to forge a common approach on the nuclear accord when the issue comes up for discussion in the winter session of Parliament, Basu said that discussion on that front was on.
Left parties, who are providing crucial outside support to the ruling United Progressive Alliance at the Centre, are opposed to the Indo-US nuclear agreement and have warned the government of serious consequences if it went ahead operationalising the deal.