Renewed hope in Third Front after BJD snaps ties with BJP

When Orissa Chief Minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief Naveen Patnaik called CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat last night and sought help to sustain his government, it gave a new ray of hope for the alternative electoral tie-ups promoted by the Left.

By snapping its 11-year-old alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the BJD not only threatens to diminish the NDA’s electoral prospects but adds considerable horsepower to the Third Front’s plans as well.

The Left parties have already roped in J Jayalalitha’s AIADMK, Chandrababu Naidu’s TDP, HD Deve Gowda’s JD(S) and Telangana Rashtriya Samiti (TRS) in the pursuit of installing a non-Congress, non-BJP government at the Centre. The Left and BJD have tied up in the state, mainly for the coming elections.

With renewed energy, the Left leaders are considering the possibilities of getting JD(U) leader and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for a future partnership after the elections.

The CPI(M) leadership swiftly moved to grab the opportunity in Orissa and sent its best interlocutor — politburo member Sitaram Yechury — along with Orissa state unit chief Janardan Pati in an early morning flight to Bhubaneswar from Delhi.

Visibly happy at the BJD’s decision, Karat today said: “This is a good development. We know the history of the BJD and its founder, Biju Patnaik. Biju Patnaik had supported United Front governments, including that of VP Singh, at the Centre.”

Karat also jumped to the rescue the BJD’s government. “This morning, the chief minister took 78 MLAs to the governor. The governor should immediately order for a floor test in the Assembly. Any other step will be undemocratic,” he added. This move, Left sources claim, will add pressure on the Congress which might be keen to see President’s Rule in the state. Orissa is slated for its Assembly elections along with the upcoming polls.

The Left is making a clear distinction between the “communal” BJP and the “secular” considering BJD, even though the letter ran a coalition government in Orissa for almost 10 years. “BJD is a secular party. We fully know the circumstances under which they had to form the government with the BJP. When the Kandhamal violence happened, we had urged the BJD government to snap ties with the BJP.”

CPI(M) sources claim, BJD leaders were keeping in touch with the CPI(M) leadership. The state committee of the CPI(M) had also sent feedback to the top brass in Delhi about the growing resentment among the rank and file in the BJD against following the dictat of the BJP, especially the RSS. “There was immense pressure on Patnaik from his party to snap ties with the BJP,” said a Central Committee member of the CPI(M).