Thirteen of them have come together to show a united face in the second half of the budget session to attack the government. All the leaders of these political parties led by left are clutching any straw to remain relevant in politics and the floating of the third alternative is yet another one.

While the Congress may phoo phoo the idea calling it a mirage of Indian politics and a ghost, which appears every now and then and disappears soon, the Congress managers are quite nervous on the likely onslaught in the house in the coming days. One significant thing is that the UPA 2 is still in its honeymoon period as it is just about to finish its first year of the second term. To get this kind of reaction from a totally disoriented opposition must be a warning to the Congress-led UPA.

Why there is a move for a third front at this point of time? The third alternative has got a big weapon to beat the Congress with - which is price rise, which is hitting the common man. The opposition has realised the strength of this weapon and can create an impact in the public if they go about it in the right manner. While the BJP led NDA is also on the same wavelength, both do not want to be seen working together for obvious reasons. But behind the scene, they are quietly strategizing together to embarrass the Congress. They have shown that they can stall any bill. Even in the first half of the session, the controversial women's bill was passed only with the support of the left and the right and another controversial bill the nuclear liability bill was blocked because the two had combined together to oppose it.

The RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav spilled the beans by declaring that the intention of the new third alternative is not to overthrow the UPA government. “But we want to mark our protest against the wrong policies of the government.' So the real intention of the new group is to stress its nuisance value. The Congress realizes this potential and is getting ready to face the onslaught. In the first part of the budget session, the Congress successfully got the opposition divided on the women reservation bill but the second part is a different issue. The Congress cannot expect to get the same cooperation from the left and the right on other issues like the price rise, nuclear liability bill, food security bill and other important measures. After all, the opposition has its role to play and cannot be seen to be supporting all the government measures unless they are benefitted politically.

The picture showing the new third front leaders including Prakash Karat (CPIM), A.B. Bardhan (CPI), Deve Gowda (Janata Dal-S), Chandrababu Naidu (Telugu Desam), Mulayam Singh Yadav (Samajwadi Party), Lalu Prasad Yadav (RJD), Maitreyan (AIADMK) and others was impressive if one goes by the number. But the problem for the third front is to sustain it for the next four years. Going by the past experience, the glue of power, which should bind them, is not there and therefore it is difficult.

Secondly, the interests of these regional and smaller parties are not the same as that of the left and other national parties. So, on some issues, they may not see eye to eye or they could be indifferent.

Thirdly, there is this ego clash of leaders. The two Yadav chieftains are together at present but one does not know for how long they remain united. The AIADMK has been in and out of this front even earlier. The Congress is said to be wooing INLD chief Ajit Singh. Next Year's UP elections are also important for the Left and these UP parties.

Fourthly, the constituents often view the alliance as a springboard for political advancement and they can jump in and out any time they want. The track records show how quickly Mulayam Singh jumped out of the earlier third front before the polls when he decided to support the nuclear bill. BSP chief Mayawati, who was promoted by the Left as the prime ministerial candidate also jumped out of the third front when she felt it was not to her advantage to remain with the others.

So what does this new front want? The left strategy is to merely bring together various groups from the socialist camp to sharpen their attacks on the government. According to the left leaders, firstly they want to build a platform for the left and secular parties to launch a joint fight against the Congress-led ruling alliance. The 13 parties of the front will move a token cut motion on the finance bill against the hike in prices of petroleum products and proposal against fertiliser price hike. To buttress these, they have also called for an All India strike on April 27. The cut motion may have little impact on the survival of the government as it may get it passed without much problem as all these parties put together have just about 88 MPs. They might have a combined strength of 88 members but the threat of moving cut motion against the finance bill and the proposed all India strike on April 27 do not auger well for the Congress which is alleging that these parties are hand in glove with the BJP.

So tough times are ahead for the Congress in the second half of the budget session when tax proposals will be discussed. The women's bill may not come and the nuclear liability bill is being re worked. The Congress has to look for some other issue, which is likely to divide the opposition. The other option is to lure some of the constituents and break the front. Therefore, how long and how effective the new front will be entirely depends on its constituents and how serious they are in remaining together. More importantly, the new front should aim at discussing and debating the issues rather than making noisy scenes and walking out. Walkouts may be a one-minute exercise but a good debate helps the opposition. Third front could become a viable alternative only when the constituents make people believe that they are serious. (IPA Service)