Karat meets Mulayam to explore possibility of third front

Lucknow, June 17 (UNI) CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat today met Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav to explore the possibility of the emergence of a 'third front'.

Mr Karat asserted that CPM and Samajwadi Party had several common issues and his meeting Mr Yadav was just an endeavour to explore the possibility of a ' third front.' Dissastisfied with the UPA Government's decision to hike petrol and diesel prices, the CPM leader was all praise for Mr Yadav on his secular credentials and some 'common issues'.

He extended full support to SP specially on the issue of agitation against the petro price hike.

Mr Karat conceded that CPM may have been supporting UPA, but both had several points of disagreement.

The CPM leader did not criticise the Mulayam government with regard to many of people's problems -- the power crisis being one of them.

The meeting took place as Congress President Sonia Gandhi launched a mass-contact programme in her Rae Bareli Lok Sabha' constituency to thank the people for her landslide victory in the May 8 byelection.

The Congress President complained of apathy of the UP government towards her Lok Sabha constituency, a bastion of the Nehru-Gandhi family.

UNI SB VS RP PM1801