Lucknow/New Delhi:
Man of the moment Akhilesh Yadav may describe it as a courtesy call, but his meeting this morning with the Left's Prakash Karat will be equalled with his interest in a Third Front. Mr Yadav, who takes over as Uttar Pradesh's youngest chief minister on Thursday, said yesterday that a Third Front was a good idea.
The 38-year-old, who won UP on a forward-looking agenda, said on Monday that all the recent debate about a political Third Front was a good beginning. But today, he clarified, "This government at the centre will not fall. Everything else that is being reported is conjecture." Justifying his meeting with Mr Karat, he said, "I will not be able to return to Delhi soon. I wanted to meet all senior leaders."
His father and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh has been among the handful of political heavyweights who have tried often during the last few years to consolidate the smaller parties of the country and the Left into a non-Congress, non-BJP front as an electoral option at the Centre.
Yesterday, former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and current head of government Nitish Kumar said a Third Front seems a distant prospect. Mr Kumar, runs a government in partnership with the BJP, said, "We can't see anything shaping up in the form of a third front right now." Lalu Prasad sounded almost nostalgic when he said, "It is a closed chapter. I have a bitter-sweet experience of the third front. But I see no signs of it," he said.
Speculation about a Third Front has gained momentum ever since the Congress, which heads a troubled coalition at the Centre, got a drubbing in the assembly elections in Punjab and UP, with talk that UPA allies like Mamata Banerjee might not be averse to walking over to such a third front. This amid reports that regional parties that rule states or that sense a chance to do well in their states are now are looking at the possibility of new alignments and early general elections. Parties like the BJP and its Punjab ally Akali Dal have talked openly about early elections. But those like Lalu Prasad, who has bailed out the UPA in difficult moments, say they see no possibility of mid-term elections.
But the Congress has its antenna up. Tonight, the PM will dine with all his allies in the garden at his residence. Many within the UPA have protested-none louder than senior member Mamata Banerjee-that the Congress does not consult its partners and that there is poor coordination within the UPA.
Ms Banerjee has said she remains committed to the UPA but her recent actions have suggested a growing interest in keeping her options open. She accepted invites to the swearing-in ceremonies for Mr Yadav in UP and the Akali-BJP government in Punjab; the Congress took offense. Later, she said she would send representatives instead.
Ms Banerjee, who is the chief minister of Bengal, has also fought alongside the opposition on different issues where the centre has been accused of violating the autonomy of state governments.
The 38-year-old, who won UP on a forward-looking agenda, said on Monday that all the recent debate about a political Third Front was a good beginning. But today, he clarified, "This government at the centre will not fall. Everything else that is being reported is conjecture." Justifying his meeting with Mr Karat, he said, "I will not be able to return to Delhi soon. I wanted to meet all senior leaders."
His father and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh has been among the handful of political heavyweights who have tried often during the last few years to consolidate the smaller parties of the country and the Left into a non-Congress, non-BJP front as an electoral option at the Centre.
Yesterday, former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and current head of government Nitish Kumar said a Third Front seems a distant prospect. Mr Kumar, runs a government in partnership with the BJP, said, "We can't see anything shaping up in the form of a third front right now." Lalu Prasad sounded almost nostalgic when he said, "It is a closed chapter. I have a bitter-sweet experience of the third front. But I see no signs of it," he said.
Speculation about a Third Front has gained momentum ever since the Congress, which heads a troubled coalition at the Centre, got a drubbing in the assembly elections in Punjab and UP, with talk that UPA allies like Mamata Banerjee might not be averse to walking over to such a third front. This amid reports that regional parties that rule states or that sense a chance to do well in their states are now are looking at the possibility of new alignments and early general elections. Parties like the BJP and its Punjab ally Akali Dal have talked openly about early elections. But those like Lalu Prasad, who has bailed out the UPA in difficult moments, say they see no possibility of mid-term elections.
But the Congress has its antenna up. Tonight, the PM will dine with all his allies in the garden at his residence. Many within the UPA have protested-none louder than senior member Mamata Banerjee-that the Congress does not consult its partners and that there is poor coordination within the UPA.
Ms Banerjee has said she remains committed to the UPA but her recent actions have suggested a growing interest in keeping her options open. She accepted invites to the swearing-in ceremonies for Mr Yadav in UP and the Akali-BJP government in Punjab; the Congress took offense. Later, she said she would send representatives instead.
Ms Banerjee, who is the chief minister of Bengal, has also fought alongside the opposition on different issues where the centre has been accused of violating the autonomy of state governments.
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