Kolkata: Banerjee and Jayalalithaa are not known to be telephone buddies. But today, they spoke. Ms Jayalalithaa called Ms Banerjee a day after the West Bengal Chief Minister said she was fine with the former as PM.
The Third Front is developing cracks. The Federal Front is still only a proposal. But now is there a new front in the making? Front with women leaders in the forefront? Banerjee has also thrown in the name of Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati in her list of likes.
Ms Banerjee’s move is well-timed, and has come just after Jayalalithaa cold-shouldered CPM’s Prakash Karat over a seat-sharing deal for the upcoming Lok Sabha election. Her own Federal Front is yet to take off; the Third Front is still together, even if minus Jayalalithaa.
But Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is not turning a hair. He said news channel, The Third Front is a non-Congress, non-BJP front and it will be the strongest front. Some little cracks can happen. But when we met to form the Third Front, we jointly declared a commitment to some basic principles. It will be a programme based front or alliance. It will run a programme based government.”
In the Trinamool, many are preening that Ms Banerjee will be power behind the throne. “South and East their coming together, their conversation is a big thing. There was only talk of the two national parties. But now a Federal Front is coming into shape. This is very significant,” Trinamool MP Sultan Ahmed said.
But others are surprised. Didn’t Mamata want to be PM? Especially after her January 30 rally and Anna Hazare who is backing her for the top job? At the rally, more than one supporter had backed Ms Banerjee for PM and she had not demurred.
For Ms Jayalalithaa, Ms Banerjee’s support is a win-win. And Mamata is a realist. Many potential Federal Front partners are in the Third Front. So may as well seek new allies. Even at the temporary cost of her ambitions. Not queen, at least queenmaker.
Bureau Report
Leave a Reply