Mulayam's Third Front talk an enduring mirage: Cong

Congress also echoed its Vice President Rahul Gandhi who urged party MPs from Uttar Pradesh to be prepared for polls

The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA), dependent on the support of the 22 Samajwadi party members of Parliament (MPs) for its survival at the Centre, today termed Samajwadi party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s idea of a Third Front an “enduring mirage”.

Nevertheless, the Congress said it was ready for polls, echoing its vice-president, Rahul Gandhi, who had, last week, urged party MPs from Uttar Pradesh to prepare for polls.

Today, Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said if one looked at the history of coalition politics in India in the last 20 years, one would realise a Third Front or a Fourth Front or a Fifth Front had been the “most enduring mirage of Indian politics”.

Congress spokesperson Rashid Alvi said, “I do not think there is any possibility of any Third Front. History is witness. Whenever the Third Front came into existence, it collapsed for the sake of power. People of the country do not trust any such kind of a Third Front.”

Ram Gopal Yadav, the Samajwadi party chief’s brother, had recently praised the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance and attacked the Congress over its “inability” to keep UPA allies together. On this, Alvi said, “Governments come and go. Congress is not after power. We do not do the politics of power, but of principles. If any matter of national importance comes, we accord first priority to that.” He added the UPA government didn’t compromise on issues, be it the Indo-US nuclear deal, foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail or the Sri Lankan issue, even as the Left parties (which were supporting the UPA-I government from outside) and UPA-II members Trinamool Congress and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam withdrew support on these issues, respectively.

Digvijay Singh, party general secretary in charge for Uttar Pradesh, said, the SP chief hadn’t said “something new” and the Congress wasn’t “bothered”.

On Mulayam Singh Yadav’s recent praise of Advani, Alvi said, “They (Samajwadi party) support our government. We do not want to comment on what he (Mulayam Singh Yadav) said. But we do not agree with their praise of the NDA government. It is the same NDA government during whose term the communal riots in Godhra and Ahmedabad took place. Everybody remembers the statements of L K Advani after the demolition of Babri mosque. Even after this, if SP (Samajwadi party) praises him, it is their view. We do not agree with them.”

The Congress maintained the UPA-II government was stable and would complete its entire term. However, he said the party was ready for polls. “Even today, it is a coalition government. Even the last time, there was a coalition government...Nobody knows what will happen in 2014...Congress is always ready for polls,” he said.