Fishing without a bait

Things have not happened the way the Left parties would have wanted them to be. Now they pin their hopes on some of the allies of the BJP...

Things have not happened the way the Left parties would have wanted them to be. Now they pin their hopes on some of the allies of the BJP walking out of the ruling coalition to revive the Third Front. It is true the BJP and its allies have differences but it is too farfetched to presume that they are itching to part ways. In fact, it is the lack of an alternative that forces many of them to stay put with the BJP.

Thus, it is on this vital aspect of providing an alternative that the Left parties flounder. Even if all the BJP8217;s allies join hands with the Left, they would still need the support of the Congress to form a government. Unfortunately for the Left, particularly the Marxists, who have been entreating the Congress to take the initiative to pull down the Vajpayee government, the Congress is still not ready to play ball.

As long as there is no forward movement on this, the Left parties can only build castles in the air. From the Congress8217; point of view, there is no need to be proactive as it expectsthe government to fall under the weight of its own contradictions. This line of thinking is what the Left parties cannot digest for it puts paid to all their hopes of calling the shots as they did during the Gowda-Gujral days.

It is precisely the fear of having to dance to the tunes of the supporting parties that prevents the Congress from taking the plunge. It knows only too well that any government formed with the support of the Left will not last long even as it inherits the disadvantages of incumbency. The recent polls in the three northern states have further boosted its confidence. It now thinks of regaining its lost position in the populous states of UP and Bihar to facilitate its return to power.

Small wonder that Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav no longer nurses ambition of fighting the BJP with the help of the Congress. His criticism of the Congress has been turning acerbic in direct proportion to the Congress8217; bid to popularise itself on his home turf. The Pachmarhi-type camp theCongress is planning at Hardwar is seen as a major attempt in this direction. If Laloo Yadav is less strident in his criticism, it is only because he does not want to jeopardise the Rabri Devi government which is dependent on the Congress.

However keen the Left may be to woo the BJP8217;s allies, it has little appeal to many of them apart from the Telugu Desam, which may eventually opt to return to the Third Front because of the compulsions of electoral politics.

But all the other parties, whether it is the Samata, the AIADMK or the Trinamool Congress, have problems about making adjustments with the Left because of local factors. Having been forced to build bridges with Laloo Yadav despite disowning him in the past, the Left parties also face a credibility crisis. All this has compromised their ability to provide leadership to an anti-BJP conglomerate that could, should such an exigency arise, provide an alternative government.

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Thus in the absence of any encouraging sign from the Congress, the Left8217;sefforts to woo the BJP8217;s allies is just an exercise of whistling in the dark. The Left parties can only be pitied. Their eagerness to solemnise a marriage to which neither the Congress8217; bride nor the allies8217; bridegroom has consented, just leaves them open to ridicule.