Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacherjee on Friday lashed out against Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, saying that he had failed to check rising inflation and advocated a third front alternative. "I repeat what I have said. I did not try to denigrate the prime minister. I have high respect for him. Unfortunately he is heading a government which is failing to perform," he told reporters in Kolkata. "He could not control the inflation and the price rise of essential commodities," Bhattacharjee said.

The attack prompted an immediate reaction from the Prime Minister's Office, saying the allegations were unfounded and lacked legitimacy. Asserting that in the "daily din of politics" such statements are often made, the prime minister's media adviser Sanjaya Baru said the "country is in fact aware of the record of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and it is there for everyone to see."

"The Indian economy has never performed more strongly than in the past four years and India's global standing has never been higher than today. The PM has made the growth process more inclusive. The facts speak for themselves," he said. Baru said Bhattacharya's remarks targeting the prime minister are all part of politics.

Earlier, Bhattacharjee said that the prime minister was heading a government which is failing to perform and alleged, "He could not control the inflation and the price rise of essential commodities."

Asked whether the CPI(M) would again support the Congress to form the government if the Left and allies failed to get majority to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party away, Bhattacherjee said, "It is too early to say. After the parliamentary elections, the party will meet and decide."

"We are supporting the Manmohan Singh government on certain conditions. On the economic front, the government is failing, but Congress is a secular party," he said.

Stating that the Congress was losing election after election and the BJP was taking advantage, he said "our position is clear. We cannot support the BJP-led NDA. We cannot support the Congress. Our goal is to build up a third alternative at the Centre minus Congress and BJP and we are trying for it." (IANS)