People did not find Third Front credible: Yechury

CPI(M) seems to be feeling bitter about its allies like BSP and JD(S) switching sides to the UPA after the Third Front's electoral debacle, with a senior party leader saying the post-poll developments have proved that the "cut and paste" alliance was a mistake.

"You are right about BSP, JD(S) and TRS and that is precisely the point that I am making, our decision is that it was neither credible nor viable and this (deserting the pre-poll alliance) only confirmed that," CPI(M) Politburo member Sitaram Yechury has said.

Yechury was responding to questions on Karan Thapar's Devil's Advocate programme whether it was a mistake to ally with parties which were earlier with the BJP.

BSP and JD(S) are now supporting the Congress-led government while TRS has crossed over to the NDA.

"That is why in retrospect, we are saying that people did not find it (Third Front) credible," he said to a question on whether they chose wrong allies like BSP.

To a spate of questions on reported demands for General Secretary Prakash Karat's resignation, he said the Central Committee would be meeting in June to analyse the causes for the debacle and noted that Karat's quitting would only imply "escaping from responsibility".

Asked whether veteran Marxist Jyoti Basu had advised against breaking ties with the UPA, Yechury said he might have had his opinions which were raised in party committees, "but there is no advice that has come to us."

On Karat, Yechury maintained that the communist parties functioned on the principles of collective function and individual responsibility.

"It will have to be a collective assessment that we will make of these results ... And remember, resignation also can be escape from responsibilities." To questions on critical views expressed by senior leaders and former MPs that the CPI(M) leadership had "lost touch" with the ground reality, he said "all issues will be discussed by us and we will come to a self-critical conclusion."

This was the first time in last two decades that the party has no role in a secular government at the Centre and that is why the people had expressed disappointment, he said, adding the CPI(M) numbers in Lok Sabha this time have plummeted from the earlier lowest of 19 in 1967 to 16.

On severe criticism of the CPI(M) by a number of Left party leaders blaming central leadership and decision to forge a Third Front, he said these views would also be considered in the review.

Yechury was of the view that the way the Third Front or the state-level alliances were brought together and projected at the national level was a "mistake".

"The third alternative will have to bring about a shift in the policy trajectory. But that cannot be a cut and paste job on the eve of elections. To achieve our objective of third alternative, there are no short-cuts," Yechury said.