HVK Archives: Surjeet gives up hopes on secular UP govt
Surjeet gives up hopes on secular UP govt - The Observer
Posted By Ashok V Chowgule (ashokvc@giasbm01.vsnl.net.in)
October 28, 1996
Congress for the current impasse in Uttar Pradesh, the
Communist Party of India (Marxist) - CPI(M) - general
secretary Harkishen Singh Surjeet has conceded that a
"secular" alliance in Uttar Pradesh was "out of reach."
Giving an indication of the plummeting United Front-
Congress relations, the veteran Marxist said that the
"obdurate" support by the Congress to Ms Mayawati had
prevented formation of a non-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)
Government in UP.
Mr Surjeet, who is UF's main negotiator in UP, told that
he failed to understand Congress' rigid position over Ms
Mayawati's claim. "We, had a one-point programme - to
right communalism. They (Bahujan Samaj Party Congress)
have a one-point programme - to instal Ms Mayawati as the
Chief Minister."
Mr Surjeet said that the possibility of having a compro-
mise candidate was scotched by Congress by refusing to
put pressure on Mr Kanshi Ram to nominate an alternative
candidate. Congress president Sitaram Kesri, on the
other hand, had said that it was up to the Front leader-
ship to persuade BSP chief Kanshi Ram over Mr Mayawati's
candidature.
Criticising the "intransigent and inflexible" attitude of
the Congress-BSP alliance, Mr Surjeet said: "In politics,
things change. You just can't have one demand."
On the increasing possibility of a BSP-BJP tie-up, Mr
Surjeet said he would prefer to wait and remain steadfast
in support to the claim of Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Mr Surjeet said he also felt disturbed over the fact that
the Congress did "not insist on the BSP taking a stand
against the BJP." It may be recalled that Mr Surjeet had
made it clear that the UF would negotiate with the BSP
only after Mr Kanshi Ram's party wrote to Governor Romesh
Bhandari that it would have nothing do with the BJP in
the formation of a Government in Uttar Pradesh. "It is
they (Congress) who can persuade the BSP, but they have
not done so," Mr Surjeet said.
Meanwhile, the general feeling within the CPI(M) towards
the Bahujan Samaj Party appears to be of distrust and the
senior Marxist leaders have repeatedly termed Mr Kanshi
Ram's party as "unreliable", "opportunistic", even
"hypocritical".
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