By TwoCircles.net staff reporter
Mumbai: Seventeen political parties of Maharashtra have recently announced that they have formed ‘Force One’ to contest upcoming Loksabha and state assembly polls. These 17 parties include Dalits, Muslims and other minorities, backward classes, Marathas and those who believe in secularism and work for the benefit of all the sections of society.
The main agenda of these parties is to provide an alternative of Congress, BJP and other communal parties before the voters.
These 17 parties met in Mumbai yesterday and discussed their plan for the upcoming Loksabha elections and decided to present their candidate list for the 48 constituencies in the next meeting after which an absolute call on the final 48 candidates will be taken by the core committee of ‘Force One’. During this meeting the veteran Vidarbha Statehood protagonist Jambuwantrao Dhote extended his full support to the ‘Force One’ and said that the development of dalits, Muslims, OBC, Schedule Tribes and low caste Marathas is not possible under the ruling of Congress and BJP.
New Delhi’s Aziz Barni, editor of Aziz-ul-Hind Urdu newspaper, who has also worked on the same line in Uttar Pradesh by uniting 20 parties, was also present in the meeting and was impressed with the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) of ‘Force One’ and said that it is the same initiative for which he was working with in Uttar Pradesh and that people are angry towards Congress and saffron parties because of which there was a great need to present alternative before the voters.
When enquired if it would join hands with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), “Force One” convener and Awami Vikas Party (AVP) president Shamsher Khan Pathan said that it would be possible if AAP accepts their common minimum program (CMP) without any modification.
The common minimum program (CMP) points of ‘Force One’ includes implementation of the Sachar Committee report; opposing foreign direct investment in India; approval for the anti-communal violence bill; immediate clearance for a B.R. Ambedkar memorial in Dadar; full implementation of Mehmud-ur-Rehman Committee report in Maharashtra; a ban on all Hindu fanatic organisations like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Sanatan Sanstha, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal.
These 17 parties include Welfare Party of India, Shiv Raj Paksha, Awami Vikas Party, National Lok Hind Garib Nawaz Party, Apna Dal, National Lok Tantrik Party, Lok Vikas Party, SDPI, Democratic Party, Peace Party, Rashtriya Ulema Council, UDF and All India Muslim OBC.