Congress vice-president Rahul on Saturday ruled out the possibility of his party supporting the Third Front to form the Government at the Centre. However, BJP’s prime ministerial nominee Narendra Modi rejected the claims saying Rahul was doing damage control.
“We will not support any front,” Rahul, who was campaigning in Amethi, said when asked whether the Congress could support a Third Front Government. “We will get the required number (of seats),” he said, while replying to queries on whether his party will explore post-election tie-ups to form the Government. Rahul’s remarks are in line with a strong feeling within asection of the Congress to remain unattached with any Third Front dispensation, if the situation so arises.
Hours after Rahul Gandhi ruled out supporting a Third Front, Modi said the Congress leader has changed the track after realising that statements from several leaders of his party, about supporting such a dispensation, had “damaged” its poll prospects. Modi said the Congress had already begun plotting about disrupting the future Government as it was aware that it had lost lok Sabha elections.
“They thought even if we lose, we will help Third Front. Several Congress leaders made such statements. When they realised that it was damaging them, then Rahul ‘bhaiyya’ today tried to change it. They are shaken. They never thought that their house of cards will fall down like this,” Modi said.
AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh has made it clear that extending outside support in a coalition setup is “impractical, utopian and unworkable”. He also pointed out how Congress’s outside support to the United Front Government in 1996 “didn’t work”. “The tail cannot wag the body, the body can wag the tail,” Singh had said, indicating at the dominating view in the Rahul camp.
The Congress vice-president’s remarks came a day after CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat said a repeat of the 1996-like situation is possible and the Congress may be forced to support a Government of secular parties at the Centre to keep the BJP out of power.
Ahead of the remaining two phases of lok Sabha polls, senior leaders from Congress and Third Front have been expressing their views and concerns over the formation of the next Government which can keep away Modi from Centre.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and Union Minister Salman Khurshid both have expressed opinions about supporting a Third Front Government. Also, Samajwadi Party leaders have been claiming that they would be getting the Congress’ support in formation of a Third Front Government. The BJP has already trashed the Third Front and the possibility of it coming to power.