There is no entity as the Third Front: Congress

He also blamed the state government for the prevalent power crisis in the city. “If this is the situation in the city,imagine what’s happening in the rural areas,” Sharma said.

Avoiding any comment on a possible post-poll alliance with the Left,Sharma said the issue will be taken up later. “The Left did not see India’s integration with the world when they were in the UPA. This time we are avoiding a pre-poll national alliance,instead opting for a statewise seat-sharing arrangement. But there can be no secular government without the Congress,” he said.

“We are open to forming a government with like-minded,mature and secular parties. But we are also very firm that PM will be a Congress nominee,” he added.

Stating that the BJP was bent on dividing the country along communal lines,Sharma said the NDA’s claim that India was “shining” was unrealistic. “Sonia Gandhi has made it clear that India was shining only for a selected few under the NDA regime. We wish to take development to the poor. Internal unity is a must,which only the Congress — as the only pan-Indian party — can provide,” he added.