ELEVEN non-Congress, non-BJP political parties resolved to work together to present an alternative before the people of the country for the coming Lok Sabha elections. They also issued a joint declaration that called for throwing out the Congress from power and defeating the BJP to prevent it from coming to power. Leaders of CPI(M), CPI, All India Forward Bloc, RSP, JD(U), Samajwadi Party, AIADMK, JD(S) and Jharkhand Vikas Morcha held a meeting on 25th February at Tripura Bhavan in New Delhi and released the joint declaration. Addressing a jam-packed media conference after the meeting, CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat announced the decision of the coming together of the eleven parties. He said AGP leader P K Mohanta could not attend the meeting as his mother was critically ill but had conveyed his agreement. BJD chief Naveen Patnaik also informed his agreement but could not participate in the meeting due to prior engagements. Karat said these eleven parties had participated in last year’s convention against communalism and also worked as a block during the recent parliament session. They held this meeting to discuss about cooperation and working together for the coming Lok Sabha polls. In light of fact that Congress-led UPA’s record of misrule marked by massive corruption, unprecedented price rise, acute distress of farmers and glaring inequalities, the eleven parties decided to work for the defeat of Congress and UPA, he said. Karat said the BJP’s economic policies are no different from that of Congress and its corruption record is as bad or worse than of Congress-led UPA government. The BJP and its prime ministerial nominee pose a direct challenge to the very secular edifice of our polity. The communal agenda which BJP is seeking to push will be unitedly countered by the eleven parties and they will make sure that the BJP does not come to power. Responding to questions, Prakash Karat said that the question of prime ministerial candidate for our alliances has always been decided after elections. As far as seat sharing between some of the constituents, every party will deal with it at state level and it will not be done as a 11 party block. Karat said the resources of these parties will be pooled to ensure maximum success in the elections. Replying to a question, JD(U) president Sharad Yadav asserted that this grouping is a ‘first front’ and not a third front. He said in the past from Morarji Desai to I K Gujral, the prime ministerial candidates were selected without any hitch. Bihar chief minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar asserted that there is no question of his party returning to the fold of BJP-led NDA in the future. Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav said there would be more joining this grouping and the figure may reach upto 15. Post elections, the number may go up even further, he said. Prakash Karat read out the joint declaration adopted by the 11 parties on this occasion. (see full text elsewhere in the issue) Prakash Karat, Sitaram Yechury (CPI-M), S Sudhakar Reddy, A B Bardhan (CPI), Sharad Yadav, Nitish Kumar (JD-U), Mulayam Singh Yadav (SP), Thambidurai (AIADMK), H D Deve Gowda, Danish Ali (JD-S), Debabrata Biswas (AIFB), Chandrachoodan (RSP) attended the meeting. (INN)