THE People's Front (Lok Morcha) launched its election campaign in Uttar Pradesh with a series of public meetings in the month of July. The first of these was held in Banda on July 7 and the second at Bareili on July 11. The other meetings slated to be held are at Jhansi on July 18 and at Muzaffar Nagar in western Uttar Pradesh on July 28.

Following the formation of the People's Front and the adoption of a joint minimum programme, a massive rally was held in Azamgarh on April 17. This was addressed by Surjeet, Mulayam Singh Yadav, V P Singh, Deve Gowda and A B Bardhan amongst others.

The current series of meetings focussed on the impact of the ruinous policies being pursued by the BJP-led government both at the centre and in the state of Uttar Pradesh. The plight of the people in Uttar Pradesh, particularly the farmers, has become very distressing. Like elsewhere in the country, the withdrawal of import restrictions on agricultural products is leading to the ruination of the lives of millions. Adding to the misery is the large-scale closure of industries which is leading to galloping unemployment.

While the economic livelihood of the people in Uttar Pradesh continues to deteriorate sharply, social strife continues to increase. UP has one of the worst crime records in the country today. Dacoity, kidnapping and general anti-social activities are rising alarmingly as admitted by L.K. Advani's home ministry reports. The recent attacks on dalits in Aligarh, Fatehpur etc shows that caste oppression continues to be on the rise.

It is in this background that the People's Front gave a clarion call for the ouster of the BJP in the state in the forthcoming elections. By-elections to the Shajahanpur Lok Sabha clearly showed the outright rejection of the BJP by the people of Uttar Pradesh. While the BJP lost its deposit, the Samajwadi Party wrested the seat from the Congress. The BSP came second.

Sensing the imminent rout in the forthcoming elections, the BJP has adopted a three-pronged strategy. First, alongwith the VHP and Bajrang Dal, there is a systematic effort to whip up communal passions. Bajrang Dal has been providing physical and military training to volunteers as has been reported in these columns earlier. The VHP has stepped up the campaign on the construction of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya in order to sharpen communal polarisation. Advani's blatant defence of the Babri Masjid demolition while deposing before the Liberhan Commission is also part of this agenda. Clearly, the BJP and the communal forces seek to create a greater sense of insecurity and fear amongst the minorities. Thus, for their political benefit, they are seeking to push UP into yet another round of communal confrontation.

Secondly, the Rajnath Singh government has begun to dole out sops to various sections hoping to bolster their electoral support. A Rs. 600 crore package has been offered for the teachers. The most backward of the OBCs and the dalits are being offered additional reservation benefits. Through many such measures which clearly amount to immoral practices, the BJP state government is seeking to get the support of some sections of people in an otherwise hopeless situation.

Thirdly, the BJP is engaging in an exercise to forge unprincipled and opportunistic alliances and seek the support of various casteist forces. The present BJP-led government is, in itself, the product of unprincipled political deals. The shameless and unscrupulous engineering of political defections with which this government came into existence had shocked the country. This time around, the BJP's plans are worse.

However, the massive response of the people at Banda on July 7 clearly indicates that the people of UP are not willing to tolerate the BJP rule any longer. Braving scorching sun, tens of thousands of people from the entire Bundel Khand region converged for the rally. With rapt attention and enthusiasm, they heard V.P. Singh, Mulayam Singh, A.B. Bardhan, Sitaram Yechury and Amar Singh.

The series of rallies planned by the People's Front in various parts of Uttar Pradesh is generating enthusiasm at the ground level. The defeat of the BJP and the emergence of a non-Congress secular alternative as the only way forward for India and its people is what the results of the forthcoming UP elections are going to prove.