JOIN USThird Front calls off meeting
The Left leaders refrained from answering any questions and there were only some hints at what was discussed in the two-hour meeting. They said there was no hurry for the Third Front allies to meet now. “We were in the process of discussing the formation of the government. But (after the results) there is no urgency to meet,” said Debabrata Biswas of the Forward Bloc.
Responding to a question if the Third Front has become irrelevant, he said: “Temporarily it has. But with one defeat, you cannot write us off completely. There is still the room for us to play the role of the opposition. We are still with our allies.” He said all the third front parties should share the responsibility for the poor result.
In a statement issued after the meeting, the Left reiterated that they will continue to work as a responsible opposition in parliament and consensus will be reached after each party reviews the reverses.
Questioned if their policies or the choice of partners have been wrong, RSP General Secretary T J Chandrachoodan said: “Our political line was right. We don't think our policies and approaches have been wrong, but the defeat suggests that people don't subscribe to it,” he added.
Chandrachoodan also rejected the view that aligning with parties like BSP, TDP and JD(S) is a tactical blunder. “Our approach has been right,” he maintained.