•DK Singh: Is the Congress ready for a pre-poll alliance with the Samajwadi Party?

Jayanthi Natarajan: It would be premature to make a statement about any pre-poll alliance with the Samajwadi Party for the Lok Sabha elections or in UP. As for keeping communal forces at bay, those whom the hat fits must wear it. Our purpose is to keep communal forces at bay and it is a political idiom which is relevant. We hear L K Advani talking about building the Ram temple now. That was on the backburner, earlier. So this is an important issue for us.

•DK Singh: Last week at a meeting with the Left, RJD leader Laloo Prasad Yadav had stated, “You are helping the BJP”. Did he specify whether it was the Congress or the Left?

Jayanthi Natarajan: I don’t think he meant the Congress at all.

•DK Singh: Is the Left helping communal forces?

Jayanthi Natarajan: The Left has every right to have its own ideology. They have very strong convictions about the Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement. Therefore, I would hesitate to impute any motives. But if the aim is to keep a secular government in place, people need to think of what steps need to be taken. At the end of the day, it is the responsibility of the coalition and the Government to ensure that there is governance.

•Suman K Jha (to Ravi Shankar Prasad): How important is the Congress in your idea of India?

... contd.