Third front fortifies against UPA

New Delhi: The Samajwadi Party and the Left on Sunday asked the Congress-led UPA government to reconsider its stand on the Iran nuclear issue and other foreign policy matters.

SP and the Left leaders perhaps for the first time shared a common dias on the foreign policy issue at a rally in Lucknow.

They said that the UPA government had completely surrendered before the US and this could prove disastrous in future. The rally is been seen as the first step towards the formation of the third front.

The joint front has asked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to clear his stand on the issue before the next voting at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on November 24.

The Left-SP front has decided to host rallies over the country. While one rally will be held in Hyderabad on November 20, a similar show of strength has been planned in Mumbai also.

The leaders said the process of change in foreign policy started during the NDA regime and now the UPA had jeopardised the country?s sovereignty by "prostrating" before the US.

CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said all previous governments had made efforts to maintain a good relationship with Iran, but Manmohan Singh has rejected this well-tested pro-Iran policy.

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He said the Indian vote against Iran at the IAEA was under US pressure. "The surrender was shameful," Karat said and added that instead of chalking out an independent course the UPA had been following diktats of the US.

Karat said Iran had broken no international law in the development of nuclear energy. He added that the US interest in the Middle East was to protect Israel and ensure oil supply for its own consumption.

The LF-SP front has also decided to raise the issue in Parliament during the ensuing winter session from November 23. Karat hoped that the Prime Minister would see reason and change his stand on the isssue.

Expressing concern over the change in the foreign policy, UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav said it was fraught with serious consequences.

He said Iran had always supported India in difficult times and it was unfortunate that the UPA government has withdrawn support from Tehran at this critical juncture.

SP general secretary Amar Singh said the LF-SP together had 110 MPs in the Lok Sabha and they could not be ignored by the Centre.

He said the Centre had already created lots of trouble for the SP government in the state and it would not be further tolerated.