Ex-PMs, Basu discuss 'political situation'

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MAY 16. Efforts to revive the `third front', even if not exactly in the form it once existed, gained momentum with the four former Prime Ministers - Mr. V. P. Singh, Mr. Chandra Shekhar, Mr. H. D. Deve Gowda and Mr. I. K. Gujral - meeting the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mr. Jyoti Basu, here today.

They utilised Mr. Basu's visit - he was here in connection with the finalisation of the State's Plan - to pick up the thread where they had left it when they met him in Calcutta on April 30 with a proposal to get the `third front' back on the rails. But after a nearly 30-minute meeting, they had little to say except that they discussed the political situation and various possibilities to bring together all secular forces.

Sources in the CPI(M) said nothing dramatic was about to happen. The exercise was still in a preliminary stage with like-minded leaders thinking on how best to fight the BJP. ``It is all very nebulous at this point, but certainly a beginning has been made,'' they said.

Mr. Basu, speaking to mediapersons informally after the meeting, indicated that one idea being tossed around was to build a broad platform of ``secular'' parties, groups and individuals to combat divisive tendencies.

``Even those who are ideologically opposed to us or do not share our economic polices are welcome to join the platform,'' he said. Congressmen committed to secularism could also come on board, Mr. Basu remarked.

However, the Congress(I) spokesperson, Mrs. Margaret Alva, later said her party had always spoken of the need for secular parties to work together as far as possible.

The former Prime Ministers, as they emerged from the meeting, said they reviewed the national situation and the need to work for a ``third alternative''. However, they declined to elaborate.

The last time such a meeting was held was in Calcutta and the initiative - as indeed today - had come from the former Prime Ministers. While Mr. Gujral, Mr. Gowda and Mr. Singh have been ``natural'' allies of the Left in recent years, having been together in the United Front, it is after a very long time that Mr. Chandra Shekhar has been drawn into such an initiative.

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