Third Front: Political Minions Ready for Huge Battle

Sending tension indices spiraling in the country’s top two political parties, the Third Front, now a robust formation of nine political outfits, was formally launched in Tumkur, Karnataka on Thursday.

Leaders from the Janata Dal-Secular, Communist Party of India-Marxist, Communist Party of India, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Forward Bloc, Telugu Desam Party, AIADMK, Telangana Rashtra Samiti and the Bahujan Samaj Party say they hold the key to the formation of the next government.

Speaking on the occasion the leaders said the Front will present a stable and viable alternative to the Congress and BJP led alliances.

Former prime minister and JD(S) leader, HD Deve Gowda called on people to vote into power a democratic and secular government during the forthcoming election season.

CPI (M) general secretary, Parakash Karat said: “This is a historic get-together of all the democratic, secular and Left parties to declare that we are all coming together to constitute a third force in this country,”

Addressing the gathering in English, Karat said the non-BJP, non-Congress coalition would stand for the interests of a vast majority, defend secular values and fight for social justice.

“Today, we have come together because the country needs a new alternative,” he iterated.

The CPI (M) was pivotal in the coming together of the UPA, but later withdrew support from the government in July last year, after the Congress led alliance refused to budge from its stance on the India-US nuclear deal.

Karat stressed that successive governments had failed to resolve grave economic problems facing the country.

Karat slammed successive Congress and BJP governments for failing to bring a positive change in key areas of poverty eradication, health and literacy.

The CPI-M leader recalled the United Front government led by Gowda that took office in 1996 with the backing of the Left.

“In 1996, the people of India came to know that the future of this country does not lie with either the Congress party or the BJP,” he said.

While several biggies were present on the occasion, conspicuous by their absence were BSP czarina Mayawati and AIADMK boss Jayalalitha, who stayed away from the meeting but sent in representatives to attend the launch.