Cong, Left cannot be brought together now, says Pranab

New Delhi, Apr 28 (PTI) The Congress and the Left
parties cannot be brought together at this juncture, feels
India's External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee discounting
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar's view on
the issue.

"He (Pawar) believes that both Congress and the Left
can be brought together but I do not believe, at this
juncture, that this is possible. What would happen in future,
none of us is a political astrologer. We cannot do that
(forecast)," Mukherjee told NDTV.

Pawar had expressed the view that the antipathy
displayed by the Congress and the Left parties was "posturing"
during electioneering and that he had no doubt that both the
sides would show pragmatism to come together after the poll
results are declared.

Holding that the NCP leader has always given "mixed
signals", Mukherjee said, "Upto now I have no reason to
believe him (Pawar) because he has stated and he believes
firmly that Left support is necessary.

"And he believes that he can manage it. Therefore it is
his conviction. I cannot shared his conviction," the External
Affairs Minister said.