Janata Samajwadi Party (JSP) Chairman Upendra Yadav has ruled out joining the socialist front to be formed by left parties in the ruling coalition.
Left parties in the coalition including CPN (Maoist Center) and CPN (Unified Socialist), and groups led by Baburam Bhattarai and Bam Dev Gautam are discussing formation of a socialist center and they claim that JSP will also join such front.
But Yadav has refuted that in a video interview with Setopati on Wednesday. “We are socialist center ourselves. Our party itself is a socialist party. There won’t be our participation and partnership for another party when there is JSP,” Yadav states. “We don’t know whether what is being talked about will be formed or not or who will form it. But what is being rumored, as socialist center or CPN (Socialist Center), we are not communists. Keeping socialist center inside the bracket after CPN cannot attract socialists.”
He has pointed that the ruling coalition should be prioritized now. “There is currently coalition of five parties. It would be appropriate to move forward by reaching an understanding within the coalition of parties and forging alliance between some parties at some places on the basis of that understanding,” he adds. “Electoral alliance is one thing but forming a front is different. Talks about forming a front have not even reached us.”
He has pointed that socialists and communists are different things. “Socialists talk about equality, democracy, social justice and proportional representation. Communists talk about dictatorship of proletariats. They talk about new people’s republic or people’s republic.
“We have to look at the aims and objectives of the front. There can be our participation if our party finds that appropriate and deems it necessary for achieving the targets. Otherwise the talks about forming a socialist center by communist parties is a thing about communists. They may form it. That is not a new thing.”
He has also revealed that the party has not held much discussion with CPN-UML. “I met UML chairman once after the elections. That meeting also took place after a long gap. Discussion with UML at political level has not moved forward.”
He has also argued that JSP has not split. “There was no party split this time. There is still one party. Baburam Bhattarai, who was in the party, has said he will open another party. Everyone has freedom to open a party. That much has happened. Our party has not split. He himself left bidding farewell…We didn’t shove him out.”
