Third front is necessary now, says CPI’s Bardhan

A day after CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat called for formation of a third front, it was the turn of CPI secretary A B Bardhan to endorse it today.

A day after CPI(M) leader Prakash Karat called for formation of a third front, it was the turn of CPI secretary A B Bardhan to endorse it today. Talking in Berhampur in Orissa, Bardhan said a strong third Front sans Congress and BJP at the Centre was necessary since the country was passing through a ‘‘critical’’ phase.

The CPI general secretary, however, said a third front cannot be ‘‘achieved by meeting with some leaders only’’. He was referring to Karat’s meeting with Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav in Lucknow yesterday. Bardhan said third front could be only possible through strengthening of Left democratic forces and people’s movement.

CPI(M) too has a similar stand, of trying to build a non-Congress, non-BJP alternative by forming issue-based alliances first. Karat’s meeting with Mulayam was to plan joint agitation against the petro-price hike.

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Reiterating that the Left’s support to the UPA government was not for all times to come, Bardhan said it depended on how the government adhered to Common Minimum Programme (CMP) formulated by UPA allies. ‘‘We have given support to the UPA on the basis of CMP prepared at the time of 2004 election and to keep fundamentalist BJP at bay,’’ he said. Any deviation from the CMP would not be tolerated, Bardhan warned.

On the issue of fuel hike, he said,‘‘The Left parties along with other trade unions would hold a national convention in New Delhi on July 25 and formulate a joint action plan on nation-wide protest.’’ Reacting to large number of MOUs signed by the Orissa government, he said ‘‘the foreign companies are here to loot the rich mineral resources, while the state would not get any benefit from it’’.

He flayed the Orissa government’s recent decision to impose ban on CPI (Maoist) and its seven frontal outfits. ‘‘Banning of organisations would not solve any problem. The Orissa government should have learnt lessons from states like Andhra Pradesh. Despite its ban on some organisations there, the situation continued to remain as it was before,’’ he said.

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