Sitaram Yechury and Sharad Yadav

New Delhi, June 14: Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s effort to forge a Federal Front along with the JD(U) and the BJD appears to have spread panic among the comrades although the Left has rejected the idea of a Third Front.

CPM politburo member Sitaram Yechury today called on Sharad Yadav to gauge whether the JD(U) was serious about snapping ties with the BJP and joining hands with their political rival Trinamul Congress.

Following it up, senior CPI leader A.B. Bardhan rushed to meet Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who is outside the idea of a Federal Front.

Before meeting Mulayam, Bardhan issued a statement to rubbish the proposed Federal Front and talked about a “coalition government” of non-Congress and non-BJP parties with the Left as its fulcrum.

“The idea of ‘Federal Front’ floated by one or two chief ministers… is neither feasible nor likely to inspire confidence among the voters,” Bardhan said, hinting towards the Bengal chief minister, Left’s arch political rival.

Bardhan appeared to be urging regional parties to look towards the Left, and not the Trinamul Congress.

“Only a non-Congress, non-BJP coalition which pursues credible alternate policies… is the need of the hour,” Bardhan said and added: “The Left is working towards it.”

“Such a programme-based coalition government can emerge through struggles and maybe after the polls… The Left parties are working towards that end,” the statement from Bardhan said.

Both Yechury and Bardhan appeared to be on a mission to show that the Left was down, but not out. The leaders looked alarmed that the parties that had always looked towards the Left were now gravitating towards Mamata.

“Yechury wanted to know whether the JD(U) was serious about forging a Federal Front along with Mamata and Naveen Patnaik,” a source close to Sharad Yadav said.

Yadav was learnt to have told him that the idea was vague and no concrete talks had taken place.

Bardhan too dissuaded Mulayam against joining the Federal Front of Mamata and other chief ministers and urged him to take the lead for a coalition government of non-Congress, non-BJP parties.

“We had a good meeting. Mulayam Singh agreed that there was need for an alternative front and policies to take on both the BJP and the Congress,” Bardhan said after the meeting. The CPI leader even claimed he talked to Naveen, who assured him of his support for a non-Congress, non-BJP front.

On being pointed out that Naveen was with Mamata, the CPI leader said: “No, he is with us.”