Jaya's rethink on formation of third front

Chennai, Jan 17 (UNI) In an apparent rethink on the formation of a third front at the national level, AIADMK General Secretary J Jayalalithaa today said conditions were not ripe for it yet.

''If a third front is to be formed, all non-Congress and non-BJP parties should come together and work unitedly. That stage has not reached yet,'' she told a press conference here on the occasion of party founder MGR's 90th birth anniversary.

Ms Jayalalithaa had been advocating for an alternative to the Congress and BJP at the national level and had also met Samajwadi Party leaders Mulayam Singh Yadav and Amar Singh in this regard in New Delhi recently.

Reacting to her efforts towards formation of a third front, BJP senior leader M Venkaiah Naidu had said there was no possibility or feasibility for such a front.

On the BJP's charge that the Centre was adopting a ''soft approach'' towards terrorism, the AIADMK supremo said the UPA Government's style of functioning was not satisfactory.

''The Centre has failed on all issues, including the Indo-US nuclear deal and the way of handling terrorism,'' she said.

On political analyst and journalist 'Cho' Ramasamy's statement that the AIADMK should work together with the BJP and actor Vijayakanth's DMDK, the AIADMK supremo said ''it is his view. He has every right to express his views.'' UNI AKN ROY MSJ DS1340