The Third Front, a coalition of Left and regional parties, was formally launched in Karnataka today offering an alternative to the combines spearheaded by the Congress and the BJP during the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Though leaders of the new ‘force’ discussed options to take on the Congress and BJP, they were unable to arrive at a common decision, let alone who their prime ministerial candidate would be.
“We are not going to say anything now,” Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S) president and former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, who hosted a breakfast for the leaders, told reporters in Bangalore.
“A message will be given at the convention. We are launching the Third Front. All parties are rallying around us,” Gowda said before addressing a massive rally at Dobbaspet, around 60 km from Bangalore, to launch the Front.
But there was no message at the rally that would have set the Kaveri on fire. “This is a historic get-together of all democratic, secular and Left parties in the country to declare that we are all coming together to constitute a third force in this country,” CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said.
Karat said the ‘third’ force stood for the interests of the vast masses for defending secularism against the communal forces. The platform, he said, would fight for social justice for the oppressed sections.
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“Today we have come together because the country needs a new alternative,” Karat said.
Recalling the formation of the United Front (UF) government headed by Gowda 13 years ago, Karat said people came to know in 1996 that “the future of this country does not lie either with the Congress or the BJP”.
He said the UF then comprised all secular, democratic and regional parties, along with the Left to provide an alternative to the Congress and BJP. Karat also hit out at the two major parties, saying even after 60 years of independence, they had “failed to fulfil the aspirations of the people”.
The CPI(M) leader also rebutted the Congress’ claims of 9 per cent economic growth rate, saying it meant little for the common people and said the country still witnessed the “shameful spectacle” of farmers committing suicide and people facing the brunt of high unemployment and price rise.
“Life is unbearable for the ordinary people,” Karat said, adding, the global economic crisis had led to millions of job losses and crashing the world financial system.
Though AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa and and BSP supremo Mayawati skipped the launch of the Front, their representatives — V Maitreyan and Satish Chandra Mishra, respectively — were present.
Regional parties like the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Telengana Rashtra Samiti (TRS), Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) were present on the occasion. Orissa Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Naveen Patnaik, who last week parted ways with the BJP, did not join the group.
“One thing is clear: Naveen is not with the Congress. He also broke away with the BJP,” said CPI general secretary A Bardhan.
Discussing who would be the prime ministerial candidate of the Front, Bardhan said: “We do not think it is important to project a PM candidate. We have several leaders who are very good prime ministerial material. But we will decide after the polls.”
Bardhan also asserted that the AIADMK and BSP were with the Front and not fence-sitters.
“They (BSP and AIADMK) are well represented. They are not fence-sitters. They are with us,” Bardhan said.
The CPI leader said the Third Front was coming up everywhere. “Bangalore has the privilege of getting the first announcement (of the formation) of the Third Front.
“Media calls it the Third Front. I call it the First Front. The Congress is second and BJP is way behind as bad front,” he added.
Bardhan said he differed with the assessment of TDP leader N Chandrababu Naidu that the situation was similar to 1996, when a third front government came to power at New Delhi with Congress support.
“No. It is far better; 2009 is not 1996. I differ with Naidu on this if he said so. I think we are far ahead. The time is ripe for a non-BJP, non-Congress alternative. Everybody is rallying one by one with us, some before the polls, and one or two after the polls.”
On the Left parties joining the government if the Third Front came to power, the CPI general secretary said: “Whether we will be part of the government or not will be decided after the elections.”