Laloo’s chances reopen 3rd Front

Laloo Prasad Yadav’s predicted change of fortune in Bihar may well lead to the Left reassessing the Third Front option. There is no que...

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Laloo Prasad Yadav’s predicted change of fortune in Bihar may well lead to the Left reassessing the Third Front option. There is no question of moving away from the UPA but the four Left partners may consider forging better ties with possible Third Front allies and forming a more cohesive block that would exert pressure on the ruling Congress.

This possibility dominated the ongoing RSP congress at Pondicherry today. Forward Bloc leader Debabrata Biswas and RSP’s Abani Roy put their weight behind keeping the Third Front alive. CPI and CPI(M) representatives, S. Sudhakar Reddy and P. Ramachandran, spoke positively but believed time was not right for the Third Front as it was in the days of the United Front.

Now that Laloo’s support base may have been eroded by the strong Congress-LJP alliance, there is demand that the Left broker a deal between Laloo and Mulayam. After all, the two had chosen to part on the basis of their differences over anti-Congressism. Laloo had not seen the Congress as a threat in the past but with the Congress trying to win back its lost glory in the Hindi heartland, there is the possibility that Laloo may no longer consider Mulayam a sworn enemy.

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Now, with the Congress’ economic policies alienating the Left, there is every possibility that the Left may look at a rejuvenated Third Front as a powerful pressure group to lobby with the UPA leadership. If the RJD does not do well enough, Laloo may find the Left more trustworthy than the Congress. This may well be the new arithmetic in the post-election scenario.

Left leaders, looking forward to this development, said: ‘‘This Third Front could be a wheel within the larger UPA wheel. The Congress has to realise it cannot take the support of its allies for granted.’’