People's Front focusses on secularism, federalism

By Javed M. Ansari

NEW DELHI, JUNE 2. The People's Front today unveiled its programme, listing its priorities and underlining the issues on which the front seeks to build itself as a viable, third alternative at the national level. It said it was determined to emerge as the ``real third alternative'' to both the BJP and the Congress.

Releasing a document this morning, the front chairman and former West Bengal Chief Minister, Mr. Joti Basu, said the constituents had come together after agreeing on certain basic issues. ``Our programme and policies are before the people now, it's for them to judge us.''

The programme highlights the issues that the anti-BJP anti- Congress forces, specially the Left parties, have been espousing all along. The highlight of the 10-page document is its strong emphasis on secularism, federalism the public distribution system and the public sector units.

It calls for legal steps against the ``misuse'' of religion in politics and the implementation of the Places of Worship Act. It demands amendments to Article 356 to check ``the draconian powers of the Centre to dismiss the State Governments'' and opposes any trifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir. There is strong support for electoral reforms, the Lok Pal Bill and the need to protect domestic industry.

The programme was released in the presence of front convener and Samajwadi Party leader, Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav, the former Prime Minister, Mr. V.P. Singh, the CPI(M) general secretary, Mr. Harkishan Surjeet, his CPI counterpart, Mr. A.B. Bardhan, the CPI(M) politburo member, Mr. Sitaram Yechury, and Mr. Abhani Roy Chaudhary of the RSP. The front will strengthen the ``principles of secular democracy, federalism, social justice and self- reliance''. But the programme underplays the issue of the women's reservation Bill as a deference to Mr. Yadav who has a different view on the issue.

Severely critical of the BJP and the Sangh Parivar, the document says that at no time had the communal forces posed such a serious threat to the secular democratic foundations of the country. It accuses the BJP-led Central Government of ``harming the country in every respect''. On the economic front, the Government was ``mortgaging'' the economic sovereignty and harming the national unity through its ``narrow, sectarian and fascistic policies''.

The document also criticises the Congress. Accusing it of compromising with communal forces, it says the party has forfeited its position to protect and transform the country. It was the Congress which had initiated the economic reforms of 1991, causing ``untold suffering and misery to the people''.

Most of the leaders who spoke today said the front would prove its strength in Uttar Pradesh which was ``almost half of India''. Mr. Bardhan and Mr. Surjeet said the process of realignment of forces would get a fresh impetus after Uttar Pradesh polls. The front's leaders made it clear Mr. Yadav would be the lynchpin in Uttar Pradesh. Mr. Yadav said the recent byelection in Uttar Pradesh had proved that the people had ``made up their minds'' in favour of his party.

Mr. Surjeet criticised the Congress for opposing the CPI(M) in West Bengal and Kerala rather than making the BJP its main enemy. He did not consider the Congress communal but said it did not have the fire to fight the BJP.

The former Prime Minister, Mr. V.P. Singh, said apart from Uttar Pradesh elections the major thrust of the front would be to agitate on people's issues and to involve the people in the campaigns of the front.

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