Personal Thought: Stitching Third Front with needle of opportunism  

Isn't it ironic that at a time when the Left Front, presently comprising the big brother CPM, CPI, Forward Block, and Revolutionary Socialist Party of India, is cracking up, the CPM is hell-bent upon rearing a new political child, the Third Front. It is trying to rope in disparate groups like the Telagu Desam Party, Samajwadi Party, OP Chautala's Rashtriya Lok Dal, National Conference, AIDMK, JD(S) and who not. They are also casting amorous glances at the likes of Lalu's RJD, Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party, Ajit Singh's Indian Lok Dal, who are presently going steady with the Congress under UPA roof. What binds these political parties - it would be more appropriate to call them opportunists--or what is common among these is something they themselves cannot tell. In 1996 they formed United Front "to keep Congress away from power".

Today they are supporting the Congress-led UPA "to prevent 'communal' forces from coming into power". They have different reasons, different arguments and differ justification at different times. Now, the CPM is claiming to forge a united front to keep equidistance from both the Congress and the BJP. These political parties do give BJP the 'communal' tag, yet it is equally true that most of these political parties have, at one time or the other, lost their 'secular' virginity when they consummated their marriage of convenience and opportunism with BJP. They behave like some of our female actors in the tinsel world who feel proud to declare that they are single but certainly not virgins. How is BJP 'communal' now and was it not 'communal' but secular when they were together? There is nothing new in the Left siding with BJP if it serves its political purpose. At one time Congress was Enemy No. 1 - at times they echo this sentiment even now--for the Left and for this they could go to any length to dislodge it from power.

In post-1967 scenario Left had tied the political knot with the then Jana Sangh, to whom and its present incarnation BJP, they brand as 'communal', just to keep Congress away from power. In 1989 the Left parties may not have shared the same plate of sumptuous political fruit cream of power, yet it did share the same space in Parliament that supported the 'secular' government of VP Singh. The latter, too, had no qualms of conscience in seeking and accepting the support of 'communal' BJP because without this he could never be the Prime Minister. Later, when BJP withdrew its support and it led to his being voted out of power on the floor of Parliament, BJP once again became 'communal' for VP and the 'secular' brigade.

Amba Charan Vashishth