New Delhi: As Left parties step up their opposition to the Centre's policies, Union Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal said the Government was "not afraid of anybody" and would do whatever was needed to complete its full term.

Responding to the nine-page "charge sheet" framed by the Left parties criticising the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government, Mr. Sibal said: "We are not afraid of anybody. We will carry on implementing the Common Minimum Programme."

In an interview to Karan Thapar's "Devil's Advocate" programme for CNN-IBN news channel, he said the Government would try to convince the Left. " ...We will do whatever we can to try and run the Government for five years. That's all," he said.

Programmes for people

"We will do it honestly and we will do things for the people and have programmes for the people. And I am sure the programmes will reach the people. The Left has an ideology, the Left is not the Congress party, they are bound to criticise and they have the right to criticise," he added.

Rubbishing suggestions that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh must reinvent himself, he said Dr. Singh was a "different kind of Prime Minister" who enjoyed the respect that very few leaders got in the international community.

He suggested that the media attacked Dr. Singh's image. "The figures show that the Prime Minister's image is only battered through the media. The facts show otherwise," he said. Asked about the longevity of the UPA Government, Mr. Sibal said he believed this coalition would last 10 years. "Any government can be brought down before five years. Any government can commit suicide before five years. Any government can last not just five years but 10 years. I believe the Government is going to last 10 years," he said. — PTI

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail