Alternative politics
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: February 27 , 2014 -

Wooing the electorate with the promise of a viable alternative which has 'a democratic, secular, federal and pro-people development agenda', leaders of 11 political parties namely, Samajwadi Party, Janata Dal (United), Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI (M), Biju Janata Dal, Asom Gana Parishad, AIADMK, Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik), Janata Dal (Secular), All India Forward Bloc, Revolutionary Socialist Party and CPI have come together to fight in the upcoming Lok Sabha election to defeat the ruling Congress led UPA Government and the BJP-led NDA.

If one is to go by the words of Samajwadi Party Chairperson Mulayam Singh Yadav at least four more political parties could join the front.

Dubbed by media as the coming of a Third Front in India, this amalgamation of 11 non-Congress and non-BJP parties has rung out a clear message to the people that India is not a two-party nation and people are willing to try out an alternative to Congress and BJP.

Issuing a joint declaration, the non-Congress and non BJP front stated that it was "time for a change to throw out the Congress from power" and defeat the BJP and other communal forces and prevented from coming to power.

The joint declaration slammed the "anti-people policies" of UPA-II which have allegedly led to no economic growth, joblessness, loss of livelihoods for lakhs of tribals, dalits and minorities and "corruption has become the byword for the ruling establishment".

Last but not the least, the joint declaration brushed aide the claim of BJP as an alternative to the Congress contending that the saffron party has no policies which are different from that of Congress.

Coming at a time when pollsters have predicated of the struggle that Congress may need to undergo to win re-election due to a string of corruption scandals and sagging economic growth under decade long regime and the BJP has been forecasted to emerge as the single largest party but still fall short of a majority, the announcement of formation of a Third Front at this juncture is rather interesting.

Looking at the composition of the Third Front, where everyone consider himself or herself as the kingmakers and would never be ready to accept the other as their leader, we can't help but to wonder whether the alternative they are offering to the electorate is in actuality an alternative to the politics that Congress and the BJP are playing or an alternative politics for themselves.

If it is the latter, then one can safely conclude that the Third Front of the over-ambitious politicians is going to be a bigger nuisance than the Congress and the BJP.

Assuming that the Third Front of the Non-Congress and Non-BJP was elected to power after the Lok Sabha election, the first and foremost problem that the leaders of the 11 political parties have to resolve among themselves is who should sit in the BIG chair.

It was not without reason that the issue of Prime Ministership was deliberately kept in abeyance at the time of announcing formation of the Front.

But that did not deter the Samajwadi Party Supremo Mulayam Singh from making a tall claim that the Third Front would not have been realised without his contribution.

So much for alternative politics, not for good governance but for fulfilling one's political ambition.