RSP, AIFB may not support Congress

“The RSP leadership has taken a decision to support efforts to bring down the BJP Government. But we are of the opinion that the BJP and the Congress are of the same coin”, said Abani Roy, veteran RSP leader. The RSP has five seats in the Lok Sabha.

Blaming the Congress for the economic situation in the country, Roy said his party holds the Congress responsible for embarking on the liberalisation route which is the road to economic disaster’.

This view is shared by the Forward Bloc as wellwhich has two seats in the current Lok Sabha.

As the BJP Government finds itself embroiled in yet another crisis which threatens its continuing in office, the CPI(M) has replayed its offer to the Congress, despite their earlier offers being rebuffed by the Congress.

But at a time when even a single seat could make or break the fortunes of the two leading parties, the RSP and AIFB’s seven seats amount to even more than those of the Janata Dal. While the BJP would not be counting the RSP-AIFB votes, the decision of these two parties would be crucial for the Congress.

What are the chances that the RSP will change its mind about supporting the Congress? “We are watching the situation very closely”, said Roy, though he stresses that the Congress is unlikely to alter its economic policies which is the only possibility for the RSP changing its stand.

According to Roy it is increasingly clear that elections are inevitable. “What matters is who is in power at the time of the poll”, he said.

Secondly, theCongress is happy enough utilising the BJP to get its economic objectives through, like the Patents Bill and the Insurance regulatory legislation through Parliament. “Congress is ready to disrupt the BJP Government, but not to dislodge the Government”, said Roy.

As political temperatures hot up, both the RSP and the AIFB will be increasingly under pressure from its Left-front partners to reconsider its stand on the Congress, especially if and when the Congress has to seek a vote of confidence.

But the RSP appears to have adopted an inflexible position as of now. “Just as the Congress will not change its economic priorities, we have our political priorities as well”, he said.