Now, Left keeps its distance from UNPA

The Left parties’ refusal to participate in the TDP-sponsored rally is a departure from their declared goal of building a “third alternative.” In fact, the CPM, while deciding to continue its support to the UPA a few years back, had stated that on issues where it disagreed with the government, “we should try to rally all the non-BJP parties on a common platform.” Following this line, party General Secretary Prakash Karat had shared a common platform with Mulayam Singh Yadav and other regional chieftains during a rally to oppose India’s vote against Iran in Lucknow on November 2005.

Later, in an article in Marxist in December 2006, Karat approvingly stated, “the TDP has declared it is taking a relook at the policies it implemented while in government and acknowledges the necessity for fashioning pro-people, pro-farmer policies.”

In fact, Karat met Chandrababu Naidu and SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav last month in what he described as an attempt to formulate a common approach on the nuclear deal. However, Karat refused to participate in the “farmers rally” despite Naidu’s best attempts, Left sources told The Indian Express. The Left’s changed stance is believed to be in response to the sensitivities of the Congress.

The Congress has been extremely annoyed with the Left for its dalliance with the UNPA and suspected that the latter had a grand design in opposing the deal. The Left, which initially tried to corner the Congress by building an alliance of regional parties against the nuclear deal, changed its mind midway and Karat declared on October 29 after a meeting with DMK chief M Karunanidhi, that “there is no immediate plans for a Third Front.” By staying from the TDP rally, Left is walking that talk.

The CPM, as of now, is thankful to the friendly attitude of the Union Government on Nandigram, and values its friendship with Congress more than making another experiment with the Third Front. In fact, after toying with the idea of taking a UNPA delegation to Nandigram to drum up support for its position, the CPI-M has developed cold feet on that as well. When asked about it, UNPA spokesperson Amar Singh said “no such proposal has come to us, but we will certainly go to Nandigram if the Left wants us to.”

During the parliamentary debate on Nandigram, regional parties were actively supporting the Left and the UNPA was soft towards the Left. “It is a sad incident and innocent people have died. But nobody should try to make political mileage out of it,” TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu had said.

In fact, the UNPA is keen to keep the lines open with the Left and is very cautious about talking on it. “Our relations with the Left have a long history. We have been together on many crucial occasions and will continue to be so in the future,” said SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav. For the Left, however, priority seems to have changed.