With the BJP raising the stakes in Parliament by not allowing it to function, and openly proclaiming that it has taken the lead in 'fixing' the government over the 'Coalgate' issue, the other non-Congress parties appear to be rattled.
At the time of the presidential election barely a month ago, the BJP had betrayed no sign of being the leader of the country’s principal Opposition front, and was kowtowing to others.
From that forlorn state, the saffron party is seeking now to once again capture centrestage as the country’s key Opposition party. The non-BJP Opposition is far from happy to see this, with the next Lok Sabha election only about a year and a half away, and few betting that it won’t be held sooner.
This appears to be the main reason for Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav to rope in the Left and the Telugu Desam Party on Thursday to jointly interrogate the government over 'Coalgate', virtually using the same arguments as the BJP in a bid to establish corruption in coal block allotments.
At the same time there is a distinct effort by these parties to demarcate themselves from the saffron formation. This has been done by asking the BJP to return to Parliament and allow a discussion on coal policy.
Can this be deemed to be the first blueprint of the new edition of the 'Third Front'? Mr Yadav, with his prime ministerial ambitions, has certainly tried to give that impression. But the others appear not so clear-cut, at least at this stage. Nevertheless, it is hard to dismiss the thought that parties such as these are tailormade for a Third Front-type grouping in the next national election.
Since the Third Front idea revolves around 'secular' regional parties (although most have partnered the BJP at some time in their past), it was the Left that informally played the role of the centre in such an association. This was simply because it would be hard for a state party to cede dominance to a similar party.
The Left, on the other hand, has an all-India outlook, like the Congress and the BJP. With a weakened and possibly chastened Left unable to play the part it once could, the Samajwadi leader is betting on himself to emerge as the key player of a non-Congress, non-BJP combine.
This is easier said than done, of course. The SP must win at least half the seats in Uttar Pradesh to emerge as the biggest regional party in Parliament. That is a big task. The one thing the SP may have in common with the BJP is the desire for a mid-term poll. But this might not suit the others. So it’s early days yet.