Toppling Nda Not On Agenda, Says Surjeet

Though the Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet feels the BJP is fast losing ground as a political force, as evident from the proceedings of the just-concluded budget session of Parliament, he concedes that it is not possible to destabilise the NDA government at this stage.

"It is not a practical proposition. At least that is not on my agenda," Surjeet observed to a suggestion whether the CPM would take initiative to destabilise the NDA government since it feels the continuance of the government poses a danger to the unity of the country.

However, the current situation only underlined the urgent need for a third political force to come into being at the national level and such a front could be composed of the left democratic and secular parties. Some of the middle-of-the-road forces could also join the third front.

 

When a reporter pointed to the reported statement of the West Bengal Chief Minister Jyoti Basu favouring the Congress in the third front, Surjeet said he could not rely on the statements one makes.

"If the Congress is to be in the third front, then what is the meaning of the third front. We now have the BJP with its NDA combine on one side and the Congress on the other. Hence we are talking of a third front, excluding these two", he explained and added:" In our eyes, both the BJP and the Congress are class enemies. While the BJP indulges in communal politics, the Congress, though it compromises at times, puts on a secular stance. Both belong to some class interests".

He referred to the 48-page draft of updated party programme released on Thursday and said as the name indicated, it was only an updating of the 1964 document, taking into consideration the changes in the international scenario over the past 36 years.