NEW DELHI: Poll-related activities gained momentum April 1 with National Front-leftist alliance deciding to put up common candidates in the forthcoming May Parliamentary elections and Chandra Shekhar assailing the fundamentalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from making the controversial.
Former premier Singh’s National Front and likeminded major communist parties concluded after a meeting here Sunday that the NF Left alliance would avoid mutual contests and jointly organize their campaign projecting the principles of social justice and secularism.
Front sources said a complete understanding on seat sharing should be worked out even in states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh where the Janata Dal and the Left parties did have some differences over seat sharing.
The meeting was attended by V P Singh S R Bommai (JD) Harkishan Singh Surjeet (CPI-M)M Farooqui and Chatuman Mishra (both CPI) It decided that differences remaining unsolved at state levels will be solved by the NF-Left coordination committee at the national level
As V P Singh began a five day election tour of the southern Karnataka state Tuesday the Front is also trying to enlist the support of dissident Congress-I leader and former chief minister Veerendra Patil to put up a united fight against Rajiv Gandhi’s Congress (I) party.
Chandra Shekhar lashed out at the BJP for making the Babri Masjid dispute an election issue and cautioned that the move was fraught with dangerous consequences.
Addressing an election rally in Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yaday’’s Etawah constituency Chandra Shekhar said BJP wanted to divide the nation on the Ayodhya dispute which he said his party would never allow in the interest of the country’s unity and integrity.
Yadav who shared the dias also made a scathing attack on the BJP and joined the prime minister in appealing to the people to return their party to power in the forthcoming Lok Sabha poll.
Meanwhile the eight member high powered committee of Premier Chandra Shekhar’s ruling Janata Dal (S) is meeting Tuesday night at the residence of party president Devi Lal to decide on the issue of electoral alliance but party spokesman S P Malaviya said the possibility of an alliance with the Congress (I) was remote.
With effect from Tuesday ministers at the center and states are prohibited from combing their official visits with electioneering as the model code of the conduct for political parties in power comes into force. As per the code governmental transport including aircraft and vehicles machinery and personnel shall not be used for furthering the interests of the party in power.
Rajiv Gandhi Monday said “communalist” BJP and “secessionist” Janata Dal were the worst enemies of the country
Asked whether his party would have any electoral alliance with the Janata Dal (S) Gandhi told news men that anything is possible even at the last moment.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 5, 1991
