Gowdas Leadership Not Negotiable: Uf

In line with the decisions of the steering committee of the United Front, the Fronts 11-member standing committee reiterated that the leadership of the Front was non-negotiable and there was no question of sharing power with the Congress. It, however, decided to have a greater coordination with the Congress on the functioning of the government.

The meeting, which took place at Prime Minister HD Deve Gowdas residence, also decided to send a formal invitation to the Congress for talks. The meeting was also attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu and Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav.

The two-line invitation said that in pursuance of the informal talks going on between various Congress and UF leaders, it was decided to have formal dialogue to resolve the crisis without any pre-condition. The five member United Front team, nominated for that purpose, consisted of HS Surjeet, Naidu, Farooq Abdullah, Mualayam Singh Yadav and Sharad Yadav.

The idea of some sort of mechanism, having equal representations from the Front and the UF, was discussed and it was agreed that, if the Congress so desires, there could be a weekly consultation about the governments functioning.

During VP Singhs tenure as the Prime Minister, there used to be a weekly consultations with the supporting parties, the Left and the BJP, to have a better coordination between the government and the supporting parties. Similar mechanism can be evolved now, one standing committee member said.

He said that the Congress should have a greater say in all the policy matters, major government appointments and they should be consulted before drafting legislative bills.

This, however, does not necessarily mean that the Congress view points would be accepted all the time. But at the same time, the Congress should not be taken for granted, he added.

Each standing committee member told the meeting about their informal talks with various Congress leaders and they agreed that no one was ready to go for polls both the United Front and the Congress were concerned about the possible division among the secular forces.

Perhaps, because of this situation that common sense will prevail on both the sides and they will arrive at some understanding before April 11, one senior United Front leader said.