Some United Front leaders fear that a slowdown in investigations into what they call politically sensitive cases will not augur well for the Fronts image, and may lead to a debacle if elections are held now.
They say that there seems to be an understanding at the top not to take the cases to their logical conclusion.
They refer to the governments delay in granting sanction to the CBI to file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court order in the hawala case.
I have definite information that the Prime Ministers Office is sitting on the file after the law ministry cleared it. In fact, law minister Ramakant Khalap wrote thrice to the PMO to grant permission to the CBI.
But no action has been taken in the PMO, one senior UF leader said.
In the Bofors case too, an impression is gaining ground that the government is going slow, he said, adding that in the Indian Bank case too, efforts are on scuttle the probe.
In what looks like an election year, the United Front can ill-afford to send such kind of signals which goes against the spirit of the common minimum programme, a senior leader said.
United Front leaders opposed to a hike in prices of petroleum products also argue that since the previous Congress government put off a hike for three successive years just because elections were in the offing, why should the UF government go for a hike twice in a quick succession.
The leaders are expected to place their opposition to a hike in the meeting of the United Fronts steering committee scheduled for June 15.
They are determined to block a hike again. We want all of our proposals to be accepted, otherwise we will take to the streets, one Left functionary said.
