New Delhi, December 31
Now that it is almost certain that the next Lok Sabha election will be advanced, political activity in the Capital picked up momentum today as exploratory efforts were initiated for the formation of an
alternative secular coalition as opposed to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
A series of meetings were held through the day among the various key players on the other side of the NDA divide. Though they were all agreed on their common objective of unseating the NDA government, there was also a clear realisation that the road to the formation of a non-NDA alliance is a rocky one with the Left parties and Samajwadi Party toying with an idea of reviving the ‘third front’.
The day began with Samajwadi Party chief Mulayum Singh Yadav’s meeting with CPM leader Harkishan Singh Surjeet and ended with Congress president Sonia Gandhi walking across to meet her neighbour Lok Janshakti president
Ram Vilas Paswan. This follows her meeting with Mr Surjeet and telephonic conversation with DMK chief M. Karunanidhi. Mr Mulayum Singh Yadav also utilised his stay in Delhi to meet Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Defence Minister George Fernandes and coalition partner Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh.
In a related development, Mr Ajit Singh met Janata Dal (S) chief and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda while the CPI leader also had a meeting with Mr Ajit Singh and Mr Paswan.
Ms Gandhi did not go beyond saying that she had dropped in to wish Mr Paswan a happy new year and also had a “little political” discussion with him. The other leaders involved in today’s feverish political activity, however, did not shy away from enumerating the roadblocks ahead in forging a non-NDA alliance.
While welcoming Ms Gandhi’s initiative in bringing together all the secular forces on a common platform, Mr Paswan drew her attention to the state-specific contradictions. Mr Paswan is credited with the view though the
formation of an alternative front before the poll might not be possible, some kind of a loose alliance or an understanding could be arrived at. He also admitted that there would only be two major fronts in the post-poll scenario. Upset that the Congress had not responded positively to his overtures earlier, Mr Paswan is learnt to be weighing his options and will announce his decision after his party’s national executive meeting on February 21.
The state-specific problems that are impeding the formation of an alternative secular democratic alliance are:
- In Bihar, differences between Mr Paswan and RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav are a hitch in bringing both onto a common platform.
- Similarly in Uttar Pradesh, there is deep animosity between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the BSP with both refusing to be part of the same alliance.
- Although the Left parties and the Congress have no ideological differences, they cannot go in for a pre-poll alliance as the two repitted against each other in Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura.
- In Tamil Nadu, the Congress might have broken the ice with the DMK but the latter’s alliance with the MDMK, a strong LTTE supporter, is a problem area.
- In Karnataka, the Deve Gowda-led Janata Dal (S) is battling the Congress.
- Although the Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) have begun informal talks on continuing their alliance, there are reports that the BJP is also wooing the NCP.
These contradictions were reflected in the responses of the various non-NDA leaders today. For instance, Mr Mulayum Singh Yadav, whose relations with the Congress are strained and who is coming close to the BJP, ruled out the possibility of joining any front, stating that his party would contest the next election on the basis of issues and he was ready to “give and take” issue-based support.
Mr Surjeet, however, displayed more flexibility, saying that though the formation of a front might not be possible given their political compulsions in three states, he hinted that there could be greater coordination between the Left parties and the Congress.
These problems are admitted to indirectly by the Congress as well. Party spokesperson S. Jaipal Reddy has said several times that an alternative secular front will not be formed in one instalment. While it is possible for the Congress to forge an alliance with some parties, others will come on board only after the poll, he said.
