Alexis Tsipras, leader of Greek far-left coalition SYRIZA spoke out against what he views as a highly hazardous austerity policy entrenched in the entire European Union.

In particular Tsipras has accused German Chancellor Angel Merkel "playing poker with European people's lives" by insisting on austerity measures, writes the BBC.

SYRIZA made a spectacular showing at May 6 general elections in Greece, coming second with 52 seats in the 300-seat Hellenic Parliament.

Opinion polls show that the leftist coalition might well come out first in new snap elections in a month (June 17), which were necessitated by the failure to form a government from the present parliament.

SYRIZA has rejected and committed to revise the harsh austerity plan that Greece accepted in return for its two bailout plans.

The coalition is still pro-European and does not want Greece to exit the eurozone.

Ongoing austerity dooms Europe to ever more economic and social hardships and could itself lead to an implosion of the eurozone, Tsipras has argued.

In the BBC interview, the leftist leader said if the "disease of austerity destroys Greece, it will spread to the rest of Europe."

"Banks are profiting at the expense of thousands of Europeans - in Spain and Italy, as well as Greece - left in poverty and hardship," he added.

SYRIZA has firmly vowed not to enter into a coalition cabinet in Greece with any party that supports the implementation of the austerity bailout plans.

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