Grand alliance will hurt Cong — VP

One year back there was even a talk of the Congress taking the support of the Left parties to form a Government at the Centre to defeat the BJP and now the Congress is joining hands with the BJP against the Left.

Asked how he could criticise the Congress aligning with the BJP to fight the Left in West Bengal since he himself had taken the support of the BJP to form a government at the Centre in 1989, Singh said the BJP and the Left extended support to the United Front Government to keep the Congress out of power in the special circumstances that emerged after the 1989 Lok Sabha poll.

Now the Congress and the BJP are coming together on a “negative platform”.

Asked if he supported the demand for the resignation of the Rabri Devi Government in Bihar in view of the chargesheet filed against the Chief Minister and her husband, Singh said earlier also chargesheets had been filed against several persons and none had resigned from the government. Precedence had to be followed in such matters, he said.

Singh said although many parties may not be around at present to join a third front, there are “strong ground possibilities and political potential” for a third alternative.

A large section of the electorate in the country wants to keep the Congress and the BJP out of power.

Singh wanted the Left to take the initiative to form a third front. He said he may not be able to be the rallying point for a third alternative due to health reasons. He said even when he was in active politics, Jyoti Basu was once considered as the `first choice’.

Scotching rumours about his reentry into active politics, Singh said he had no intention to come back to active politics, but would remain in politics as politics encompassed everything related to the state.

Asked about the political significance of four former prime ministers, including Singh, coming together on a common platform, he said it was not a political platform or group, nor did it have any political agenda.

They only wanted to focus the attention of the people and the Government on issues of common concern and thought that being former prime ministers, their voice would be taken serious note of by those concerned.