By IANS,
New Delhi : Taking on senior Congress leader Pranab Mukherjee for his ridicule of the Third Front, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) general secretary Prakash Karat Monday said that Mukherjee would realise the importance of the grouping after the poll results.
Reacting to Mukherjee’s comments on March 14 that he did not understand what the objective of the Third Front was, Karat said: “Pranab Mukherjee says he doesn’t know what this Third Front is. At the end of the elections, he will come to know what it is.”
Speaking at the release of the party’s election manifesto here, Karat said: “We don’t form a front. We are discussing with our allies and partners. After the elections, we shall combine the partners to form the government.”
“This Third Front will hopefully emerge after the elections.”
Clarifying the name Third Front being used for the grouping of 10 parties, Karat said the Left parties and their partners had never used the term “Third Front”. It was coined and was being popularised by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader L.K. Advani and others.
“Advani and others popularised the term Third Front,” the CPI-M leader said, adding that there was no scope for the BJP to come to power at the centre as the party was pursuing its communal agenda.
Referring to the attacks against minorities in the BJP-ruled Karnataka and in Kandhamal area of Orissa, where the BJP was in the ruling alliance, he said: “The country cannot accept such a party pursuing the communal agenda.”
“So, there is no way the BJP can or should come to power. The BJP is not going to come to power.”
Asked whether the CPI-M would join the government if the alliance gets power at the centre, Karat said: “Hopefully, if such a situation develops, our party central committee will decide.”
Allaying speculations about AIADMK chief J. Jayalalitha, Karat said she was in “constant communication” with them and was involved in the alliance of non-Congress and non-BJP parties.
“The AIADMK is involved with us. She was not here at the meeting. But they are involved. We are in constant communication with them,” Karat said.
Though Jayalalitha was not present at the meeting of the Third Front Sunday, her party’s representative and Rajya Sabha member V. Maithreyan attended.
However, Maithreyan did not attend the dinner hosted by Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati, in which the Third Front discussed the Lok Sabha election strategies.
Karat said if a Third Front government comes to power, it would scrap the defence framework deal with the US.
“Firstly, the defence framework agreement with the US will be scrapped. There will not be a military collaboration with the US,” Karat said.
He also said a Third Front government would review and re-work on the India-US civil nuclear deal signed by the Manmohan Singh government. All the partners met here Sunday are committed against the nuclear deal, he said.