Differences among parties may delay formation of Front in AP

Another reason for the delay is Anna Telugu Desam Party8217;s resolution to propose a constitutional amendment barring persons of foreign origin from occupying the high posts. The Left, however, has been firmly opposing to any such constitutional amendment.

After severing ties with the ruling TDP, the Left, especially the CPM, took the initiative to form a third front to take on both the TDP and the Congress in the coming elections. The Left8217;s assumption was that the BJP would ultimately enter into an alliance with the TDP.

Keen on wooing Anna TDP of N Harikrishna into their camp, the CPM and CPI have announced a 25 point common programme as the basis for the formation of a third front.

The ATDP, on its part, not only accepted almost all the points in the political programme announced by the Left but also announced that it was ready to join the third front.

But, the real trouble began when certain quarters in CPI including some senior leaders opposed any move to join hands with the ATDP. CPI Legislature party chairman Rajeswar Rao, deputy leader Vanka Satyanarayana and senior MLA Vittal Reddy reportedly opposed the move.

Their contention was that the best bet would still be to continue alliance with the ruling TDP provided the latter refrained from entering into a direct poll-pact with the BJP. According to them, any indirect understanding between the TDP and the BJP need not be a matter of concern for the CPI.

The CPI state secretariat is meeting here for three days, from May 24 to 26, to sort out the confusion on the alliance question. Sources said that CPI general secretary A B Bardhan would be present here to clear the hurdles in the formation of a new front.

Similarly, the CPM8217;s eagerness to take along several social groups like Madiga Reservation Protection Samithi MRPS, Mala Mahanadu and smaller parties like JD, RJD and RPI and its break-away groups like CPM B N Reddy and MCPI Omkar too has been delaying the front8217;s formation.

quot;If everything went well, we would have formed the third front by the end of this month. But, it is likely to be delayed by a few more weeks,quot; CPM State secretary B V Raghavulu told The New Indian Express. However, he was confident that the proposed front would be a broad-based one.

But, doubts are being expressed over the possibility of bringing under one umbrella mutually antagonistic groups like MRPS and Mala Mahanadu 8211; the former demands categorisation of SCs and the latter is opposed to it.

Likewise, the CPM has crossed swords with the B N Reddy group in Nalgonda district and with the Omkar group in Warangal district not long ago on the caste question. It is still doubtful if the local cadre of the three parties can work together now.

quot;That will not be a problem as we the three parties have identified some common grounds to fight both the Congress and the TDP-BJP combine. We have suggested a compromise formula to both the SC groups to leave the categorisation row to the courts,quot; a senior CPM leader said.

Meanwhile, peeved over the lack of response from the Left camp to its offer to join the third front, the ATDP leaders have decided not the press the issue for the time being. quot;We are concentrating on our own campaign and there is no move to broach the topic the Left immediately,quot; a ATDP leader said.