Left wants Congress to give six month assurance to United Front government

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

The Left parties on Wednesday asked Congress president Sitaram Kesri to withdraw his letter to President Shankar Dayal Sharma staking his claim to forming a government before any talks begin on formation of a new government .

"They are still waiting -- for what only they know," said Communist Party of India-Marxist general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet, referring to the Congress delay in revoking their letters to the President, regarding withdrawal of support and, later, staking a claim to form a government.

The United Front steering committee, Surjeet said, had resolved that the Congress demand for replacing Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda could not be entertained till the party withdrew its letters and sent a fresh one assuring support to the UF.

The Marxist leader said the UF would not have a leader thrust upon it and accused the Congress of playing a game of political brinksmanship and pushing the country towards elections.

The coordination committee of the Left parties on Wednesday also warned the 13-party UF against the tendency of the Congress to indulge in one-upmanship which would have serious implications on the combine.

According to a senior Forward Bloc leader who is attending the meeting, the Left leaders are unanimous that given their bitter experience in the recent past, it would be a blunder to trust Congress chief Sitaram Kesri.

The leaders said the UF should take Kesri's commitments with a pinch of salt because they think he is an opportunist who will not hesitate to again pull down the proposed UF government when it suits him. The Left leaders want the Congress as a whole, and not just Kesri, to give a pledge that the party will support the proposed UF government for a minimum of six months, This, they felt, could dislodge the government can be checked, the Left leaders feel.

It is learnt that in the UF steering committee meeting on Thursday, the Left parties, which have a combined strength of 53 MPs, will clarify that before accepting outside support from the Congress, the 13-party combine should put forward some conditions to ensure Kesri does not take them for a ride again.

However, the Left parties are understood to have reluctantly agreed to the replacement of H D Deve Gowda to prevent communal forces gaining ascendancy at the Centre. But the Left leaders are likely to urge the UF not to sideline Deve Gowda totally.

Meanwhile, the Congress has formally communicated to UF convenor and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu that it is willing to support the proposed UF government once Deve Gowda is replaced. Party general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad told this correspondent that Kesri had informed Naidu that the withdrawal of his letter to President Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma staking claim to forming the government remained a mere formality.

The Left is apprehensive of such remarks. They may also demand that the UF first get Kesri to withdraw his letter to the President before indulging in more talks. Kesri reportedly told his supporters in the Congress that he would withdraw his letter to Dr Sharma only after the UF came up with a new leader to replace Deve Gowda. Senior Congress officials pointed out that "such minor technicalities" often posed grave problems later and, therefore, the Congress could not afford to be caught napping while dealing with the UF.

Meanwhile, canvassing among UF leaders for the post of prime minister reached mammoth proportions, with the likes of Laloo Prasad Yadav, G K Moopanar and Inder Kumar Gujral pursuing their respective cases again before the UF guardian angel -- V P Singh.

The UF steering committee meeting is expected to decide the replacement during Thursday's meeting, said Tamil Maanila Congress president G K Moopanar. He, however, parried a question about whether he himself could be elected as the Front leader.

Moopanar said the meeting would also discuss the Left parties's opposition to the change of leadership in the UF and the Bharatiya Janata Party's demand that the President should not to give the UF one more chance to form a government.

Asked about his earlier view that the participation of the Congress in the ministry would provide more stability, he said it would not be appropriate to air his views on this now.

He expressed confidence that the leadership issue would be resolved amicably, paving way for the reinstallation of the UF government.

Moopanar denied that BJP leaders had sought his support for forming a government with the help of regional parties. When his attention was drawn to reports about the alleged rift between him and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, he said the latter had already denied those reports and he had nothing more to add.