The Iran vote issue is threatening to snowball into a major headache for the Congress-led coalition with the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Saturday declaring it has a 'common understanding' with the Samajwadi Party on the matter. However, the CPI(M) parried questions on supporting the SP's proposed no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha.

"There is a common understanding with Samajwadi Party on several issues, including Iran," Prakash Karat, CPI(M) general secretary told reporters after a 30-minute meeting with Mulayam Singh Yadav, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and SP leader.

The meeting took place hours after Yadav held parleys with Telugu Desam Party leader Chandrababu Naidu [Images] in Lucknow, after which the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister declared support to the no confidence motion, saying the government had acted against the spirit of non-alignment.

Karat, however, skirted questions on whether CPI(M) would support the proposed no-confidence motion saying, "I will discuss it with my Parliamentary colleagues and then take a decision."

His statement came a day after his threat that it would bring the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government 'to its knees' and put it in the dock in Parliament if it insisted on referring the subject to the United Nations Security Council.

He had also made it clear that the CPI(M) was not planning to support the Samajwadi Party's no-confidence motion.

The UPA-Left Coordination Committee is meeting on Monday, while the Budget Session of Parliament is commencing on February 16.

Attacking the Manmohan Singh [Images] government, Karat said its policies were not right and CPI(M) would strive to forge a joint platform to take on the government in Parliament on issues like Iran and FDI in retail trade. "The main issue is Iran," he added.

Both the CPI(M) and the SP are outside supporters of the UPA coalition government. The Congress and SP have been at loggerheads ever since the formation of the government on one issue or another, with Congress being a strong critic of the Mulayam Singh government in Uttar Pradesh.

Yadav said there was a need for a 'non-BJP, non-Congress' alternative in the country, as people have become 'disappointed' with both parties. "One sticks to Hindutva while the other is pursuing anti-people policies," he said.

Singling out the Congress for attack, the UP chief minister, whose government is not on good terms with Governor T V Rajeshwar, said the Centre was 'misusing' the constitutional post.

"The Centre has appointed politicians as Governors in several states and many of the Raj Bhawans are functioning like pradesh Congress offices. It is a constitutional post and it is being misused," he told reporters.

He said the government's decision to open up retail trade sector for FDI would adversely affect small traders. "Farmers are already committing suicide and now this will affect traders as well," he added.

The Congress, meanwhile, has downplayed the Left's strident talk.

Complete coverage: The Iran vote and after