ELECTIONS '98
COMMENTARY
SPECIALS
INTERVIEWS
CAPITAL BUZZ
REDIFF POLL
DEAR REDIFF
THE STATES
YEH HAI INDIA!
ARCHIVES

Third front idea won't click, feels Deve Gowda

Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda Friday expressed doubts whether the formation of a third front would help win the confidence of people.

Deve Gowda, who continues to be the United Front chairman, said the formation of a front for ''convenience or political compulsion'' would not serve any purpose. The UF has become ''non-functional'', with the left parties, who form the majority, opting for a third front.

''If anybody wants to form some other front, I have no objections or interest in raking up the past,'' Deve Gowda said.

Efforts would be made to strengthen the Janata Dal, which took a severe beating in the parliamentary election. A ''year of struggle' was beginning for the party with the decision to go it alone in the coming assembly elections to four states, he added.

The former prime minister said the success of a front depended on many aspects such as leadership, policies, programmes, philosophy and past performance. Top leaders, he continued, including party president Sharad Yadav and Ram Vilas Paswan, would tour the states facing elections.

Deve Gowda claimed that his tour of states had convinced him that the masses had not deserted the party. It was the leaders who had shifted their loyalty.

''So far no party has approached us nor have we approached anybody'' was his answer when asked if the JD would go for any alliance.

Whether the JD would fight the Left parties or members of the UF, Deve Gowda said it would fight wherever it was strong. It did not have any other consideration. The party may have to sit in the opposition and strengthen its base for another decade, but that didn't worry it, he declared.

The JD, he continued, had a historic past. It had infrastructure in all states and Union territories. Three former prime ministers belonged to the party, which always took up the cause of farmers and villagers.

Deve Gowda said he would visit every state and sit with the workers to solve the problems that were bound to exist in any political party.

After the November elections, efforts would be made to strengthen the party in Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, Kashmir and Orissa where the JD has a ''reasonable'' base.

The Dal would continue in power in Karnataka, Deve Gowda was confident.

Speaking about the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, he said it was not able to perform because of internal squabbles. The government had not taken any major decision that was of relevance to the people. Home Minister L K Advani himself was on record that Pokhran was its only major decision, Deve Gowda pointed out.

On coalition governments, the former prime minister, who headed the first 13-party government for 11 months, said his party had shown that coalitions could perform and progress. His government had remained ''scam-free.'' Economic indicators -- inflation rate, prices, fiscal deficit, foreign exchange reserves etc -- had all remained positive. Moreover, the country's relationship with its neighbours was good and it was able to solve many contentious issues like sharing river waters with Bangladesh, the Mahakali agreement with Nepal and a confidence building treaty with China.

The running of a coalition depended upon the parties' commitment to programmes, policies, principles, and political philosophy and leadership, he added.

UNI

Tell us what you think of this report