With the Congress being seen as cosying up with the US and pursuing “neo-liberal policies like the BJP”, CPI (M) is again talking about a “third alternative”. The relevance of a Third Front was discussed at the party’s three-day Central Committee meeting that began on Thursday. The meeting was primarily convened to discuss the draft political resolution for the next party Congress. The predominant view within the party, during the meeting, was to have no alliance with the Congress during the next election. According to party sources, the CPI (M) needs to oppose both the “communal BJP” and the Congress.

While this will get reflected in the draft political resolution, the talk of a Third Front seems more a lip-service than an immediate political reality. In fact, the political resolution of the last party congress in 2005 talked about the third alternative too, and the situation is no different right now.

The political resolution of the last party Congress said: “The party reiterates that it is not possible to have a united front or an alliance with the Congress. This is what determined our decision not to join a Congress-led government but to support it from outside. In the coming days, the party should have ties with secular parties, within and outside the UPA, who are not allied to the BJP. The party will work for the realisation of a third alternative as the political situation matures for it.”

However, there are several hurdles on the way to form a Third Front. Sources in the party admit that there is nothing to show that the TDP in Andhra has changed its economic agenda, which is still titled towards “liberalisation-privatisation” and in accordance to the dictations of international agencies. In Tamil Nadu, the electoral wind is expected to blow in favour of the AIADMK, and not the DMK which is sympathetic towards the Left parties. Considering the drubbing that the Samajwadi Party received in the last Assembly elections, the CPI (M) will find it difficult to win the number game in realising the third front.

... contd.