National

Move for Third Front alive, says Gowda

NEW DELHI: The former Prime Minister and Janata Dal (Secular) president, H.D. Deve Gowda, on Friday asserted that moves to form a Third Front were very much alive and that the efforts would regain momentum once the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and other States were over next month.

“It [the Third Front] is 100 per cent going to be a reality. It will have a significant strengthen in the next Lok Sabha,” he said, in an informal chat with reporters.

Asked about the move to project Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati as the prime ministerial candidate, he recalled that his party had declared its support for her and said there was no change in the stance.

Asked about the possibility of the JD (S) and the Congress coming together for the by-elections to eight seats in the Karnataka Assembly, he said his party was still open to the idea of an alliance. It was for the Congress to make up its mind.

Seven of the Assembly seats fell vacant following the defection of four JD (S) and three Congress MLAs to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and one following the death of a JD (S) MLA

Charging the BJP with using money power freely in the recent local body elections, Mr. Gowda said, “the unprecedented policy of the party to be in power at any cost is causing immense harm to the social fabric of the State.”

Asked about the resignation of five JD(U) members of Parliament from the Lok Sabha over the attack on Biharis in Maharashtra, he said party’s action was commendable, as it had kept its promise.

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