Front to sit in Opposition

NEW DELHI, March 15: The United Front today decided to sit in the Opposition in Parliament following its debacle in the Lok Sabha elections ...

NEW DELHI, March 15: The United Front today decided to sit in the Opposition in Parliament following its debacle in the Lok Sabha elections even as Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav continued with his hectic efforts to cobble together a majority.

While Mulayam said he was in constant touch with leaders of Congress, RJD and other UF partners on the issue of government formation at the Centre, top UF leaders including Front chairman H D Deve Gowda met informally at Prime Minister I K Gujral8217;s residence this evening to take stock of the situation in the wake of Congress decision not to stake claim to form the government.

8220;Janata Dal has always been saying that the Front had secured mandate only to sit in the Opposition as its strength had come down from 191 to a mere 100 in the 12th Lok Sabha,8221; Dal president Sharad Yadav told mediapersons here after the meeting.

Asked to comment on some of the UF constituents suggestion for a Congress-led government to keep what they call communal forces out,Yadav said this could be contemplated only if the Congress had shown any interest in this regard. When Congress itself had decided not to stake claim, there was no question of the Front trying to forge such an alliance with just 100 MPs, he added.

Yadav also said the scheduled UF steering committee tomorrow would not be held as there was no purpose for such a meeting after Congress party8217;s decision. The meeting was attended by Ram Vilas Paswan, S Jaipal Reddy, both JD, G K moopanar TMC, Murasoli Maran DMK and A B Bardhan CPI.

Earlier in the day, addressing SP8217;s Parliamentary party meeting, Mulayam asserted that TDP leader Chandrababu Naidu was 8220;very much in the Front.8221; He said that UF convenor Chandrababu Naidu8217;s opposition to Congress did not mean that he was supporting the BJP.

Yadav said that despite AIADMK8217;s support letter, BJP did not have the requisite strength for a majority and urged President K R Narayanan to invite either the Congress or United Front to form the government. He welcomedthe statement by West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu that the UF should support a Congress-led government at the Centre from outside and expressed hope that the President would invite Congress or UF to form the government.

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Though party MPs demanded at the meeting that Yadav should throw his hat in the ring for the prime ministerial post, the defence minister was understood to have made it clear to his partymen that he was not in the race for the high office. Yadav, who had a half-hour meeting with Narayanan yesterday, claimed that UF and Congress together enjoyed a majority in the Lok Sabha and said there was no hurdle in choosing 8220;our prime ministerial candidate8221;.

He said that the recent remarks by AIADMK supremo Jayalalitha 8220;clearly shows the shape of things to come in a BJP-led coalition and its government will fall very soon because of inner contradictions.8221;

Yadav said that any person nominated by Congress, including Sonia Gandhi, would be acceptable to the United Front as prime minister.