Third Front poised to form govt at Centre: Prakash Karat

Bhubaneswar, May 8 (UNI) CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat today asserted that the Third Front was poised to make a good and serious bid to form the non-Congress secular government at the Centre as neither the Congress nor BJP would be in a position to get absolute majority in the election.
Mr Karat, who held discussion with Orissa Chief Minister and BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik at Naveen Niwas here on the possibility of formation of Third Front government at the Centre, later told newspersons that he was hopeful that other non-Congress and non-BJP political parties will support the Third Front. ''At present we are consolidating our strength with the political parties with whom we had pre-poll alliance and have appealed to all the secular political parties to extend their support to the Third
Front,'' he said.

On being asked whether the Third Front would seek the support of Congress in the event of it falling short of majority, Mr Karat quipped, ''Let us wait for the result.'' He also parried a question when asked whether the Third Front would seek the support of JD(U) supremo and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, saying, ''We appeal to all non-Congress and secular parties to join us.'' On being asked as to whether they would also take the support of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and BSP supremo Mayawati, the CPM leader said nine political parties had met Mayawati in Delhi on March 15 and issued a statement that all would work together post-election.
He said in Orissa the alliance led by the BJD would form the next government and Naveen Patnaik would again become the Chief Minister. Mr Patnaik reiterated his party's stand saying that under no circumstances the BJD would support either the BJP-led or Congress-led government at the Centre. He said several secular political parties were in a good position to come together and form a non-Congress and non-BJP government at the Centre.

Mr Patnaik expressed his surprise when asked to comment on Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's recent statement that the Congress would hold discussion with the BJD to seek its support. He said this indicated the ''desperation'' of the Congress for seeking support and made it clear that his party would not support
the Congress-led or BJP-led government at the Centre.