Left confident of Maya,Jaya attending Third Front meet

The Third Front partners are meeting here on Monday to discuss the possibility of forming an alternative secular government.

With reports of cracks in the Third Front trickling in,Karat is speaking to leaders of parties attached with the alliance and exchanging views about the present political scenario.

Party sources said Karat spoke to TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu and Orissa Chief Minister and BJD supreme Naveen Patnaik today over telephone.

“Karat spoke to them over telephone and exchanged views about the political situation,” a top CPI(M) leader said adding,”our meetings will begin from May 17″.

Asked whether the top leaders of other parties will attend the May 18 meeting,the leader said,”We hope they will attend whenever a decision has to be taken.”

For the May 18 meeting,TRS,which switched over to the NDA side five days ago,has not been called.

The Left parties,meanwhile,are meeting here on Sunday,a day after counting,which will be followed by the CPI(M)’s Politburo meeting on May 18 and that of Central Committee the following day.

Earlier in the day,CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury said the Left was under no pressure from any other party for government formation.

“There is no pressure at all on us. The mood is fine and excellent,” Yechury said when asked if there was pressure on them to support a secular government at the Centre.

On whether the Left will support Nitish Kumar as the Prime Minister of a secular front as reported in a section of the media,he said: “Let the results come out,we will know.”

On the post-poll scenario,party Politburo member M K Pandhe said that no talks have been held so far on the issue of prime ministership.

“We will have to talk with our other Left allies on who should be made Prime Minister. Till results are out,we are not discussing this issue,” Pandhe said.

CPI secretary D Raja expressed confidence that its allies in Third Front will not desert the alliance,and the efforts of Congress and BJP to woo them showed “lust for power” and “desperation” of both the parties. Raja said the Left parties will hold consultations with its allies and a “collective decision” will be taken by them on how to go about in the post-poll scenario.

“As far as our allies are concerned,they are with us. We are talking to them and I cannot foresee any division among us,” Raja told reporters here.

Asked how confident his party was about its allies as they were being wooed by Congress and BJP,he said it showed the “desperation” on part of both the parties. “It also shows the lust for power of the Congress and BJP,” he added.

On whether the Left will support a Congress-led government,Raja said they were striving for a non-Congress secular government. “Once the results are out,we will assess the verdict of people and we have called the meeting of our national executive and national council,” he added.

“We will consult with our allies whatever we will decide. I think it will be a collective decision and we will take collective steps,” he said.

On whether they will accept Samajwadi Party in the Third Front,Raja did not give a direct reply. “I don’t know about what (SP General Secretary) Amar Singh is saying. I have not spoken to him. He has not spoken to me.”

“The SP did not do that (support the Third Front) at the time of confidence vote. It is now for the SP to do what they want to do,” he said.