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Third Front still a hazy idea: Chandra Shekhar

By Our Staff Correspondent

MANGALORE FEB. 15. The former Prime Minister, Chandra Shekhar, said today that though he had extended support to the formation of a third front, he was yet to be told who would lead it.At a press conference here, he said it was impossible to visualise an India of his dreams ruled only by a "melancholic" Congress and a "fundamentalist" BJP. It was important to form a third front, which would be truly secular. However, it was not clear which parties would make up the front and what functions would be assigned to the leaders. He said he wanted the third front to be based on a strong ideology. It should not be a group of people aiming only at capturing power.

Mr. Chandra Shekhar said unless steps were taken to ensure that the front was made up of parties with a strong ideology, his role in its formation would be minimal and he would only extend a helping hand.

Asked about the formation of the All-India Janata Dal, he said he had considered the proposal to form the party under the leadership of the former Karnataka Chief Minister, S.R. Bommai, and wondered whether it would be possible to bring the leaders together. Even if they agreed to unite, how long would their association last.

Mr. Chandra Shekhar criticised the BJP and `Hindutva' and said the country would not be able to bear the pressures of a "unipolar" society. The statements made by the VHP leader, Praveen Togadia, were outrageous and the Prime Minister should intervene and restrain him. It was now clear that the VHP and other members of the Sangh Parivar were controlling the Union Government, he added. Speaking about foreign policy initiatives on the confrontation between the United States and Iraq, he remarked that it was not the first time India had decided to sit on the fence.

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