'George may take lead in forming third front'

Varanasi, Jun 28: Former Samata Party president Jaya Jaitley today said NDA convenor George Fernandes could take a lead in the formation of third front--provided the ''feud between secularists and non-secularists ended.''

Talking to sources here, Ms Jaitley said a third front was the need of the hour in the country's polity dominated by two 'big daddies'-- the Congress and the BJP.

She claimed the two big parties, despite singing the coalition mantra, were only interested in gobbling up regional parties.

''Mr Fernandes can take a lead with Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav for the formation of third front, but only it its prospective constituents take a vow of leaving behind the prolonged political battle of secularists and non-secularists,'' she maintained.

Any third front will only prosper on the ''politics of development'' and not one related to secular and non-secular debate, which seems impossible in today's caste and religion bases politics, Ms Jaitley averred.

Over the issue of efforts by JD(U) and former Prime Minister V P Singh's Janmorcha to create anti-Mulayam and Mayawati fronts in UP before the 2007 polls, Ms Jaitley said the efforts were only aimed at benefitting the Congress.

''Be it V P Singh or JD(U) president Sharad Yadav, both have embarked on a move of forming the front in UP to help the Congress, by eating the votes of both BSP and ruling Samajwadi Party,'' she added.

Ms Jaitley further said the two leaders had in the past gained public support only by embarking on the anti-Congress applecart, but were now damaging their own credentials by working under the ''diktat'' of the Congress.

UNI