OPEN FORUM
New Delhi, 20 July 2006
State of Polity
THIRD FRONT POT BOILING
By T.D. Jagadesan
There is a visible churning
amongst the regional parties with the leaders sensing a space for a third
alternative. The Left parties are in the middle of the effort, with CPM General
Secretary Prakash Karat convinced about the need for a non-Congress, non-BJP
alternative at the Centre. This is the real shift in Indian polity since the
UPA Government took over.
The 75th birth day
celebrations of former Prime Minister V.P. Singh was a major political event in
the Union Capital as, for one, it clearly demonstrated the willingness of some
regional parties to come together on the same platform and renew long broken
contacts.
The function at his residence,
for instance, was attended by the Nationalist Congress
Party and the Lok Janshakti Party from the UPA, along with the Left parties
whose members were present in full strength. The subsequent dinner hosted for
Singh by the UPA ally and Minister, Ram Vilas Paswan, was attended by the
Congress as well, with Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh witnessing
the cutting of the cake. But while the RJD was present, Mulayam Singh Yadav and
his party stayed away, leading to large-scale speculation that the Jan Morcha
and the new allies might keep the UP Chieftain out.
This is unlikely, and for some,
it might just constitute a degree of wishful thinking. The Third Front pot is now on the fire and
after it boils over, the residue will be the real substance and the nucleus of
the third alternative. Karat has shown
more wisdom than many others by meeting Mulayam Singh and making it clear that
the Left and the Samajwadi Party, along with others’ of course, had begun the
process of bringing a third
alternative together.
It is true that the antics of
some of the top leaders of the Samajwadi Party invite disdain, in the urban
centres of power. But it is also true
that today in UP, the most aggressive
campaign for secularism is carried out by the Samajwadi workers, whose names
are not known and whose faces are not familiar to political watchers in Delhi, but who really are
the backbone of the Party.
Except for a couple of Muslim
clerics, the Party is representative of the caste and religious character of
UP; it has a strong organization, and the workers are still committed to
countering the communal forces, despite regular reports of a “Secret
Understanding” between Mulayam Singh and the BJP. The CPM leader, Harkishan Singh Surjeet had
told the media recently that it was easy to drop Mulayam Singh, but it would be
very foolish to do so as this one action would break a party.
The Jan Morcha has the goodwill
at the ground level. But in a closely
contested election it is not just the goodwill that counts but the ability to
mop it up in the form of votes. The
Morcha does not have the organization as yet and will have too many foes to
contend with on the ground to be able to get the much-needed head start. V.P. Singh has been campaigning vigorously
for the farmers in UP, and it is a constituency that has responded warmly to
this initiative. But whether the farmers
will vote along caste lines will determine the success
of this strategy.
It is an accepted fact that there
will be no third alternative without the Left parties which will have to play
the role of a catalyst to bring it together.
Karat has made it known openly that the process is on, and the effort of
his party along with others in the Left Front will be to work with the regional
parties for a non-Congress, non-BJP alternative.
The tentative moves to bring
together political groups on issues
have met with some good results. In the
last round of Assembly elections,
the Left was able to contest elections in Assam,
for instance, with the NCP and the Samajwadi Party and a section of the AGP on
board. In the protest against the fuel
hike, it was again able to bring the Samajwadi Party and others together.
Telugu Desam Party (TDP) supremo
Chandrababu Naidu has announced his decision to part ways with the BJP. The AIADMK is making the right noises as
well, with Jayalalitha immediately applauding the CPM General Secretary’s call
for a third alternative.
It is true that to some extent
the players are the same and politics does not have a retirement age. It can only be hoped that they all learn from
their mistakes. The third front in the
form of the National Front, and again the United Front suffered from an
overflow of egos leading to constant bickering and factionalism. It was also under tremendous attack from the
more organized, and the more powerful Congress
and the BJP with most of the regional leaders at the time having little
experience of national politics.
This is no longer the case, and
since the collapse of the United Front, most of them have gained experience by
working in coalitions, led by the BJP and now by the Congress. This has been
sufficient to make them get back together again for a third alternative, and
the political situation is now fluid with amoeba-like movements that will
eventually consolidate into an acceptable whole.
It is important, however, for the
players to be cautious and not be in a tearing hurry to cobble together
something that will not last the test of time. At the same time, it is
imperative that patience is not extolled as a virtue as delays will take away
the space that is currently available for a third formation.
A common minimum programme, an
understanding over the Prime Ministerial candidate or at least certain
guidelines to make the choice easier as and when the time comes, a willingness
to give and not jut to take are some of the basics that have to be settled
before the Left and other parties take the plunge.
To conclude, by the time this
appears in print it is possible that
the political parties and their leaders may change sides or shades for better
or perhaps for the worse. As the saying
goes in politics there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies. What
counts most is the exigencies of the day facing them. What a fall!---INFA
(Copyright,
India News and Feature Alliance)
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