The Congress does not seem prepared to critically examine its failures that facilitated the growth of communal and fundamentalist forces, lest it affect their icons, Indira and Rajiv Gandhi; this failure helped to bring the BJP to power. While working relentlessly to remove the BJP from power, we must also appreciate that the Congress - which has a pivotal role to play - is reluctant to change its economic policies that put the country in peril in the first place and further, it is utterly disinclined to learn from past mistakes.

The inherent contradiction in the situation may lead to failure of the short-term experiment, retarding any positive shift in national politics. There is no question, however, of allowing the BJP to perpetuate its hold or pushing the country into another mid-term poll. What is needed is a cautious approach to meet a highly complicated situation, greater effort to harness a Third Force, a determined initiative to work out programmes of mass action in defence of the vital interests of the people, thereby taking the Left movement forward.

The Congress believes that the politics of coalition will not last ... underestimates the role of other parties .. and arrogate to itself the entire responsibility of fighting *communalism ...

The slogan of secularism is not enough. Radical reforms to benefit the people are equally imperative. Meanwhile, social forces that prevented the Congress from doing its duty towards the nation still have the party in their grip. The slide of the party did not result in any realignment of forces within the organisation. ...

The BJP rule seeks to destroy the basic foundation of the nation. it seeks to subvert the basic system of Indian democracy. While the rule of the fundamentalist must be ended, the overemphasis on an immediate action plan for the formation of a non-BJP government led by the Congress dilutes the strategy of building up a Third Front.

The increasingly bipolarity of Indian politics enjoins the Left to play a more independent role to combat communalism, integrating it with the task of economic and social reform while building up its mass base ...                                         (Source: The Statesman, 14 October, 1998)