145;After LS polls, Third Force won146;t survive146;

In a federal polity, regional parties have their own reasons. The TDP has its reasons. Mamata Banerjee has her reasons. The DMK had no reason. Only, that it has always been part of the Government at the Centre, headed by the UPA or NDA. Even parties that are in the NDA now have no permanent political line. Single party rule is over in India, and this is the new reality of coalition government.

8226;Two possible allies for the NDA 8212; TDP and AIADMK 8212; have cast their lot with the Left. Why did they find the Third Front more attractive?

There is no such thing as the Third Force. It is a futile exercise by the Left. What can be the common front for AIADMK and Mayawati? Or for TDP and Mayawati? After the Lok Sabha polls, many political combinations will change. The Third Force will not survive. So if Tamil Nadu wants a role in Delhi, one TN party will be in the UPA and the other must find a place in the NDA.

8226;What must the NDA do to acquire more allies before Lok Sabha polls?

We must expand geographically and broadbase our support in terms of its social composition in places where we are present. Both are equally important. We must recognise every region has its own politics. Rajasthan8217;s politics is different from MP which again is different from Bihar.

8226;Are there pan-Indian issues that straddle the divides? How do you view the way the BJP played the terror issue in the recent Assembly polls?

In the two states the BJP won, development was the central issue. In Chhattisgarh it was the price of rice and it was other programmes in MP. National-level issues didn8217;t come into these states.

8226;The BJP8217;s national leaders stoked the issue of the arrest of Sadhvi Pragya Singh in MP.

There are two mindsets at work, one of leaders sitting in Delhi and the other of those in the state. But the main emphasis was on developmental issues. The terror issue flared in Delhi because Delhi is most like Mumbai. Once an issue is there, a political party cannot avoid it. It has only to determine the angle 8212; by which national unity is preserved and a solution is found.

8226;The JDU has said the BJP needs a rethink on terror before Lok Sabha polls.

Our parties are different. On many issues, we have different views. On secularism, for instance.

8226;What is the JDU8217;s view on tackling terrorism?

Terrorism is not a new issue. We had the Khalistan movement in Punjab, an insurgency in Kashmir and earlier in Mizoram. It8217;s a large country, the problem varies from one region to another. Police officers are routinely transferred, but in every thana there is a foot soldier who has been there for 20 years. We must involve him in the fight against extremism. In Delhi, the bombs were placed in dustbins. We must give the safai karamchari a sense of ownership of the nation. In the Railways, the most effective organisation is that of the coolies. Take them into confidence as a step towards preventing blasts on trains.

In the debate on the Mumbai blasts, we are missing one thing. There are at least 25 lakh people on the Arabian Sea 8212; boatmen, fishermen, etc. No one knows the sea the way they do. If we had galvanised them, things may have been different.

8226;But the current war talk, and some of it from the BJP, targets Pakistan. Arun Shourie said in Parliament that it8217;s a war that cannot be won with minimal force.

Listen to L K Advani8217;s speech in the same debate. Shourie is angry. Advani8217;s speech strengthens national unity. My view is that war is no solution. There will be tension between India and Pakistan, but the world will not let us go to war and nor should we take the risk.

8226;The BJP says that the newly amended anti-terror law is still not strong enough.

I agree that the law misses some important provisions, like making confessions in police custody admissible in court. There should be a debate on this. But the BJP8217;s position is incomplete. Civil freedoms must also be protected. We fought MISA in the 8216;70s. I was arrested thrice under MISA. TADA was used to arrest Vaiko. What are the guarantees against misuse of such laws 8212; not just against minorities, but also political opponents and the poor?

8226;So what is the NDA8217;s position on the anti-terror law?

We will talk about it and arrive at a consensus.

8226;What are the NDA8217;s issues for Lok Sabha polls?

The biggest issue is unemployment, especially for those who have studied in bhasha schools. Inflation, internal security, farmers8217; suicides. And SEZs. Now that exports are going down, why don8217;t we return the fertile land taken from farmers in the name of exports?

In Bihar, where JDU is in Government with the BJP, we have said no to SEZs and to corporates/MNCs moving into retail.

When you joined the NDA, it was said that leaders from the socialist stream were more comfortable with Vajpayee than with Advani. Now Advani is the NDA8217;s prime ministerial candidate.

Except for Gujarat, we8217;ve had no problem in the NDA. We have worked with Advani. He is a misunderstood man.

We8217;ve had a long association with Atalji. We were in alliance with the BJP in 8217;74 and 8217;77. Before that, we were part of the grand alliance with the BJP and CPIM in 8217;67. In a democracy, we must adjust to the electorate8217;s decision. If no one gets a majority, alliances become necessary. Different political lines must be brought together and there is nothing wrong about it.