No Scope for 2004 Repeat, Says AIFB

The current political situation is different from that of 2004 and hence there’s no scope for a repeat of 2004 at the Centre after the polls, All-India Forward Bloc (AIFB) national secretary G Devarajan has said. He was referring to A K Antony’s statement that the situation is similar to that of 2004 and the Left should support Congress at the Centre. At the ‘Meet the Press’ programme held at the Ernakulam Press Club here on Thursday, Devarajan said the LDF has given and in-writing assurance that the AIFB would be taken in as a constituent of the Left Front after the Lok Sabha polls. “The political situation at the Centre is different now. Most of the ministers are not ready to contest for fear of failure. Even the Finance Minister who is behind all the new economic policies, is not contesting. The situation is ideal for a Left Secular Democratic Front to come up,” he said, adding that in Kerala there’s a strong anti-UDF sentiment. He said the RSP move towards the UDF in Kerala is not acceptable.