Third Front hope floats again, Mamata stays out
31 Oct 2013 5:36 AM IST
The brittleness of this political combination, however, could be gauged from the fact that despite a tough line against Modi, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee decided to keep away given her adversarial position vis-à-vis the Left, who organised the convention.
However, the convention surprisingly had leaders of all such parties in attendance that have been partners of the BJP at the Centre or in their respective states while running governments. These parties included the JD (U), the SP, the BJD, the Asom Gana Parishad and Janata Dal (Secular).
Among others who attended the meet were SP’s Mulayam Singh Yadav. However, his presence ensured the absence of arch-rival BSP leader Mayawati or her representative. Similarly, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s presence on the dais kept the representative of his principal adversary Lalu Yadav, the incarcerated leader of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), away.
While Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa sent her representative at the meet, despite her known proximity to her Gujarat counterpart, her prime opponent M Karaunanidhi, a driving force behind such fronts in 1989 and 1996, decided against sending a representative. TDP kept away despite proximity to the Left, as it plans to join the NDA.
On whether the coming together of the parties meant realignment of forces for the formation of a non-Congress, non-BJP front, Nitish Kumar said it is too early to talk about political alliances for 2014. Mulayam Singh had also indicated earlier that his party would prefer coming together of the third front only post-2014 polls as pre-poll alliance could lead to friction among partners.
Mulayam’s confidant Ram Gopal Yadav said that the Wednesday meet was ‘only on the issue of communalism and should not been seen as any front or an alternative.’ According to the initiator of the move, Sitaram Yechury of the CPM, ‘The meet took stock of the increasing instances of communal clashes and increasing polarising trend in current politics.’
Nitish Kumar was more forthright. ‘We all have to think that in the face of fascism, communalism and terrorism, democratic forces should maintain maximum possible unity on issues to combat and defeat such powers,’ he said. Kumar said that in the aftermath of riots in UP’s Muzaffarnagar, there has been a realisation on the need to raise voice against communalism.
Kumar, who is slowly emerging as the main campaigner against Modi, emphasised the 14 parties assembled at the meet should forge ‘maximum possible unity’ to defeat ‘fascism, communalism and terrorism’.
However, the convention surprisingly had leaders of all such parties in attendance that have been partners of the BJP at the Centre or in their respective states while running governments. These parties included the JD (U), the SP, the BJD, the Asom Gana Parishad and Janata Dal (Secular).
Among others who attended the meet were SP’s Mulayam Singh Yadav. However, his presence ensured the absence of arch-rival BSP leader Mayawati or her representative. Similarly, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s presence on the dais kept the representative of his principal adversary Lalu Yadav, the incarcerated leader of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), away.
While Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa sent her representative at the meet, despite her known proximity to her Gujarat counterpart, her prime opponent M Karaunanidhi, a driving force behind such fronts in 1989 and 1996, decided against sending a representative. TDP kept away despite proximity to the Left, as it plans to join the NDA.
On whether the coming together of the parties meant realignment of forces for the formation of a non-Congress, non-BJP front, Nitish Kumar said it is too early to talk about political alliances for 2014. Mulayam Singh had also indicated earlier that his party would prefer coming together of the third front only post-2014 polls as pre-poll alliance could lead to friction among partners.
Mulayam’s confidant Ram Gopal Yadav said that the Wednesday meet was ‘only on the issue of communalism and should not been seen as any front or an alternative.’ According to the initiator of the move, Sitaram Yechury of the CPM, ‘The meet took stock of the increasing instances of communal clashes and increasing polarising trend in current politics.’
Nitish Kumar was more forthright. ‘We all have to think that in the face of fascism, communalism and terrorism, democratic forces should maintain maximum possible unity on issues to combat and defeat such powers,’ he said. Kumar said that in the aftermath of riots in UP’s Muzaffarnagar, there has been a realisation on the need to raise voice against communalism.
Kumar, who is slowly emerging as the main campaigner against Modi, emphasised the 14 parties assembled at the meet should forge ‘maximum possible unity’ to defeat ‘fascism, communalism and terrorism’.
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