By IANS,
Kolkata : The Communist party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) would decide on joining a Third Front government only after assessing the post-poll scenario, the party’s politburo member Biman Bose said here Friday.
“The situation this time is different. In the past moves were initiated to form a coalition after people gave a fractured mandate. But this time, the Left parties have taken the initiative ahead of the polls to form a Third Front,” Bose told reporters.
The Third Front will take a complete shape after the polls, said Bose, who is also the CPI-M secretary for West Bengal.
The party will assess the situation before deciding to join the government for the first time in India, he said.
“We shall take the decision after the elections when the scenario will be different. The Third Front will take a complete shape only then. We shall assess the course of events and take stock of the overall situation,” he said.
Bose’s comments come weeks after former chief minister and CPI-M veteran Jyoti Basu said the party should think of joining the government if the Third Front assumed power.
The CPI-M central committee had twice rejected proposals to make Basu the prime minister in 1996 at the head of the United Front (UF) government and decided to prop up the regime from outside.
In 2004 too, the CPI-M turned down the Congress’ appeals to join the United Progressive alliance (UPA) government and extended support to it from outside.
Bose said the Left was trying to install a non-Congress, non-BJP government at the centre. “This government will be pro-people and secular, and pursue an independent foreign policy,” he said.