The India's left parties, with over 60 members in the new Lok Sabha (Lower House of parliament), decided Monday not to join the Congress-led government but only support it from outside.

"We have decided not to join the government,"senior CommunistParty of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) leader Somnath Chatterjee told reporters after the party's central committee meeting, where members expressed conflicting views, but took a collective decision, the Press Trust of India reported.

When asked whether CPI-M was not committing a blunder, Sitaram Yechury said, it was a collective decision.

Asserting that participation of the left parties would be helpful in providing stability to the government, Communist Party of India (CPI) General Secretary A B Bardhan, however, said "Either the whole left joins the government or CPI would keep itself out."

Thus, in the wake of CPI-M's categorical no to joining the government, participation of CPI is also ruled out.

However, experts feel that the question now is whether the Congress and its allies, who have varied opinions on economic reforms, will be able to form a workable ruling alliance led by the Congress.