I have no political ambition in Karnataka.I can’t think of going back’

June 15 (last year), under the leadership of J.H. Patel, there was a unanimous decision to fight against the Congress and the BJP, and keep equidistant from both. Subsequently, after Ramakrishna Hegde and George Fernandes intervened and remember Patel has got a soft corner for Fernandes and also hatred for Sonia Gandhi’s leadership he changed his mind at the last minute.
The elections are over now. I don’t think Patel will support some of the economic policies pursued by the BJP. Nor will many other leaders in the party. They (the NDA government) are destroying the agricultural and rural economy, to which the undivided Janata Dal has been committed since the days of Morarji Desai, and Charan Singh. It was the party’s political and ideological stand,which made it different from the Congress and the BJP. Patel has been a socialist. Ultimately he or his followers may take their own decision. They will not agree to poor people suffering.

What are the chances of your making up with Ramakrishna Hegde? He said recently that he had no animus against you.
I don’t want to react to what the Lok Shakti leaders said three days ago. They have taken a clear stand that there is no need for an understanding with the JD(S). I don’t want to drag the name of Hegde at this juncture.

Is this a possibility in the not-too-distant future?
With the political situation prevailing in the country, it is very difficult for anyone to forecast the future. Did anyone expect the mahajot in West Bengal? In the objective of fighting the BJP and the Congress, the past is not going to be an obstacle. I have made an open call that I am willing to cooperate with anyone who is prepared to do this.

Some people are reportedly trying to bridge the gap between you and Hegde?
I don’t know what Hegde wants to do. At the national level there have been certain developments. Differences between the Samata and JD(U) came to the fore in the Bihar elections. At the state level, George Fernandes has formed a unit of the Samata Party in Karnataka. He has made Srinivas Prasad (who was earlier with Hegde) the state President of his party.

I have no personal animosity against anyone. In politics things come and go. The country is of paramount importance. The four former PMs have raised certain core issues. It is possible that the group may be extended, and others may join it. We cannot go on harping on what happened in the past.

Do you see a revival of the Third Front taking place?
The BJP and the Congress are two faces of the same coin. The way they are fighting each other now shows their oversmartness and people will see through this. In my humble opinion, there is no option for the country now except the Third Front.

Do you expect this to happen soon?
Maybe in another six to seven months. By the year end.

Will the shape of it be very different from what it was in the past?
Maybe. But it will be the alternative to the BJP and the Congress.

Will the coming together of the four former PMs facilitate it?
Ours is a non-party platform for the time being. We are trying to create public opinion on burning issues before the country, not a third front. The process has begun not because of the four ex-PMs but because of the failure on the part of the Congress and the BJP and the hasty process of economic reforms, which has not given protection to domestic producers, which has demolished small farmers, which is washing away the small scale sector.

Is Narasimha Rao going to join you?
He may take some time. He was the author of the economic reforms but he came down heavily on the Government’s hasty decisions, which have been like selling the house to clear the grocery bills.

Justice Venkatachaliah has tried to allay people’s fears by saying that the Constitution review Committee will not change the parliamentary form of government or the basic structure of the Constitution….
It is not an artificial fear. Remember, former UP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh had also given an undertaking that nothing would happen to the Babri Masjid. But then what happened?

The new RSS chief has said that the present Constitution is a piecemeal document, borrowed from the British constitution and other constitutions. And that it is not reflective of Hindustan.

The Committee can review provisions like giving protection to minorities or the Dalits without changing the basic structure. Similarly, it can review Article 370 or recommend a uniform civil code.

The Government could fall if that happens?
They may go in for a repoll, taking these issues before the people. This committee is not constituted with the approval of Parliament, but by an executive order. Its recommendations would have to go before the cabinet. And if there is no unanimity, they may decide to go to the people and ask for a referendum. The RSS is already trying to mobilise people all over the country.