New Delhi, June 14 (ANI): Amid talks of a federal front and the Janata Dal (United) planning to end its 18-year alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Communist Party of India (CPI) leader A.B. Bardhan met Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav at his residence here on Friday evening and discussed the ongoing political situation in the country.
“We talked on how to form a non-Congress and non-BJP front for the next elections. We discussed each other’s opinions and assessments on it. We held discussions on all these aspects,” Bardhan told mediapersons after the meeting,
“I believe the meeting remained positive,” he added, when asked to comment on the meeting.
CPI leader Atul Anjaan, who accompanied Bardhan, indirectly hinted that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar should end his party’s alliance with the BJP.
“He (Nitish Kumar) is an experienced person. He has been running the government for eight years now and he has his own experiences regarding that. He has lost a few thing, and has also gained others. Can the people of Bihar gain anything by allying with communal forces? He has to decide it,” he said.
Nitish Kumar earlier on Thursday did not rule out the possibility of a ‘federal front’ mooted by his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee.
He said that there is a need to develop a new and joint strategy to deal with the problems confronting the under-developed and backward states of the country.
“Mamataji spoke over the phone. She is of the opinion that the problems of Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and Bengal should be kept in mind and should be thought upon commonly. I also said that we should be in favour of each other’s problems. Our problems are common and there are some important problems,” ` Kumar told mediapersons in Patna.
“As in West Bengal, there is a heavy burden of debt. Our problem is that we are a development deficit state and demanding a special category status. In Odisha also Naveen babu (Naveen Patnaik) has demanded a special status for the State. Similarly, Jharkhand also has some problems. So, if we all unite and find a common approach to tackle each other’s problems then it will be very good,” he added.
The Bihar Chief Minister, however, said the emergence of a ‘federal front’ is at a very initial stage now.
Nitish Kumar, who has given string indications of snapping ties with BJP, is planning to create a ‘federal front’ of three Chief Ministers, that of Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar.
Mamata Banerjee earlier on Wednesday said that she had spoken to both Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on the formation of a ‘federal front’.
“When they will respond in a positive way, I will let you know. But discussions are going on. We are friends and we can talk,” she told mediapersons outside her office in Kolkata.
The Janata Dal (United), which is said to be upset over Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s elevation as the chairman of campaign committee for 2014, is planning to end its alliance with the BJP.
JD (U) has 118 MLAs in 243-member Bihar assembly and needs the support of only four more MLAs to reach the magic figure.
There are 91 MLAS from BJP, 21 from RJD and one each from LJP and CPI in the state assembly.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/a-b-bardhan-meets-mulayam-talks-of-third-front/
