'Third Front giving sleepless nights to Cong, BJP'

Claiming that the Left initiative to forge an alternative to BJP and Congress was gaining tempo, giving "sleepless nights" to the two parties, CPI general secretary A B Bardhan on Friday said more would join the Third Front after the Lok Sabha elections.

Claiming that the Left initiative to forge an alternative to BJP and Congress was gaining tempo, giving "sleepless nights" to the two parties, CPI general secretary A B Bardhan on Friday said more would join the Third Front after the Lok Sabha elections.

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The UPA was "disintegrating" and many parties had joined the Third Front with more to follow after the polls, Bardhan told a meet-the-press programme in Thiruvananthapuram.

He said the Third Front would form the government at the Centre as the people were looking for a change after having "seen the rule of BJP-led NDA and Congress-controlled UPA at the Centre".

Asked whether CPI would join the new government if the Third Front was voted to power, he said, "all those things will come before the party only after the polls."

On the Third Front's prime ministerial nominee, he said the Congress had only one candidate whereas "we have many efficient persons who can occupy that post".

After the polls, the Front would discuss and arrive at a consensus on Prime Minister's post, he added.

Lashing out at Congress president Sonia Gandhi who flayed the Left for personally attacking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, he said it was an accepted practice in a democracy to criticise those holding high positions.

"They are not holy cows, who cannot be criticised or attacked. It is a strange dictatorial assertion from her that the Prime Minister should not be criticised," he said.