'Third Front' in the making: Sonia's dinner pe charcha a hit; 20 parties attend
New Delhi: Amid talks of an anti-Congress, anti-BJP “Third Front” to take on the Modi juggernaut in 2019, the Congress Party on Tuesday managed to bring together a formidable 20 parties under its umbrella at a special dinner hosted by UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi here.
Sources said the dinner meet was attended by 32 leaders, including Nationalist Congress Party supremo Sharad Pawar, Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Tejashwi Yadav and Misa Bharti, National Conference’s Omar Abdullah, CPI(M) MPs M. Salim and T.K. Rangarajan , RSP’s N.K. Premachandran, Hindustan Tribal Party chief Sharad Yadav, AIDUF’s Badruddin Ajmal, Bahujan Samaj Party’s Satish Mishra, Samajwadi Party’s Ramgopal Yadav, RLD leader Ajit Singh and DMK’s Kanhomozhi, among others.
The Congress’ show of strength comes at a time when the ruling NDA has been hit by crisis with the resignation of two Telugu Desam Party ministers from the Union Cabinet. The Telangana Rashtra Samiti has also raised the bogey of a non-Congress, non-BJP Federal Front.
Apart from showing off two additional parties in the Opposition kitty — Jiten Ram Manjhi’s Hindustan Awam Morcha and Babulal Marandi’s Jharkhand Vikas Morcha — the dinner meet is seen as an attempt by the Congress to project itself, or rather its president Rahul Gandhi, as the leader of any Opposition alliance before 2019 general elections.
Many Opposition parties, like the Mayawati-led BSP and Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamul Congress, have expressed their hesitance to be part of an alliance led by the Congress quoting the party’s dismal performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections and several state elections thereafter.
In fact, the TMC chief, who was conspicuous by her absence on Tuesday, has pitched herself as the leader of any Opposition alliance and has begun talks with parties like the TRS and the DMK for a Third Front. The TMC was represented by Lok Sabha MP Sudip Bandopadhyay at the dinner.
Ms Mayawati has also aligned with the JD(S) in Karnataka, virtually opening a Third Front against the incumbent Congress in the state, and has tied up with the Samajwadi Party for two crucial bypolls in Uttar Pradesh, the results of which are expected on Wednesday.
Denying that there were any concrete political discussions during the dinner, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewalla said that at a time when the government is not allowing Parliament to function, it is obvious that leaders of various parties, who want to raise issues in national interest, would get together to discuss the current political situation.
“This dinner was not hosted for politics, but for amity and friendship. The intention is not political, but to hold discussions in family-like setting at a time when the nation is confronted with a number of issues and thousands of crores being taken out of the country,” Mr Surjewala told the media after the dinner.
He said Opposition leaders got together to discuss issues, exchange views and create bonhomie in the Opposition.
CPI leader D. Raja said only pleasantries were exchanged at the meeting.
CPI(M) leader M Salim, who represented his party, said “There were only informal discussions. Only pleasantries were exchanged”.
RSP’s N.K. Premachandran too expressed similar views. “No specific discussions took place,” he said.
Interestingly, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who attended the dinner, is also likely to meet West Bengal chief minister Ms Banerjee on March 28 in the Capital. His party is also organising a student convention in Delhi at the end of this month.
Both Ms Banerjee and Mr Pawar are seen as potential contenders to lead an alliance to take on the BJP in 2019.
