Bharat Bandh against corruption,At a time when backroom talks were on for a united protest, the so-called ‘Third Front’ on Friday unilaterally went ahead and announced its plan to organise an ‘All India Protest Day’ on Augusts 23

NEW DELHI: This could have  made the Congress and the UPA Government happy. Even Anna and his Lokpal agitation, swaying the entire country, have failed to glue the Opposition together as the Left parties refused to join the BJP-led NDA in its plan for a united Bharat Bandh against corruption.At a time when backroom talks were on for a united protest, the so-called ‘Third Front’ on Friday unilaterally went ahead and announced its plan to organise an ‘All India Protest Day’ on Augusts 23. The decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of leaders of nine political parties - the CPM, the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), the CPI, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIDMK), Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Janata Dal(S), Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), All India Forward Bloc and Revolutionary Socialist Party(RSP) here on Friday.  “We were planning a joint ‘Bharat Bandh’, but the Left and other parties went ahead and announced their agitation. So there will be no joint Bharat Bandh,” JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav, who was mediating between the NDA and the Third Front parties, told Express.Left leaders also agreed that the NDA leaders were in touch with them, but said that a joint agitation is not on the cards.“The BJP or any other NDA ally will not be part of our agitation on August 23. Only the non-UPA , non-NDA parties will be there,” RSP leader Abani Roy said after the meeting. When asked whether there were any feelers from the NDA for a joint agitation, he said in positive. “We are organising the protest demanding effective measures against corruption including a strong Lokpal. The countrywide protests will also demand protection of democratic rights and the right to conduct peaceful protests. There will be demonstrations and dharnas in all state capitals and district headquarters,” Abani Roy said. When asked whether a joint agitation would  have been more effective, Abani Roy said, “there are certain political realities which one cannot ignore.”Today’s meeting was attended by H D Deve Gowda, Chandrababu Naidu, Prakash Karat, Sitaram Yechury, A B Bardhan, D Raja, Ajit Singh, Thambidurai, Debabrata Biswas, Bhartruhari Mahtab, Abani Roy, S Sudhakar Reddy,  and Nama Nageshwar Rao. The leaders condemned the arrest of Anna Hazare and his colleagues saying that it was an attempt on the part of the government to prevent his hunger strike. “This is an attack on the democratic rights of citizens to conduct peaceful protests. There are increasing restrictions on the right to assemble and the right to conduct protests in Delhi and other parts of the country,” it said