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The saga of Third Front

The saga of a Third Front originated in 1951. Dr. T.V.A.S. SARMA takes us down the memory lane

GOOD OLD DAYS Acharya J.B. Kripalani addressing students of S.R.R. & C.V.R. Government College. Also seen (from extreme left) are Andhra Kesari Tanguturi Prakasam Pantulu, college principal M. Raghavacharyulu and chairman of Vijayawada municipality Dr. T.V.S. Chelapathi Rao.

Those were the days when Vijayawada was acclaimed as a political nerve center of the country. During freedom struggle in 1921, the All India Congress Committee session was held at Bezwada and policies of secularism and non-alignment were announced for the first time.

In the post-independence period, a third front (a non-Congress, non-Communist front) emerged in Vijayawada on November 15th and 16th in 1951.

The entire Andhra desam was an integral part of Madras Presidency, with a separate Provincial Congress Committee, until the formation of a separate Andhra State, with Kurnool as its capital.

On 11th April 1951, in a keenly fought contest, Neelam Sanjeeva Reddy became the President by defeating Prof. N.G. Ranga by just five votes. But a few days after the elections, the Andhra Provincial Congress Party split. On 27th April 1951, a meeting held at Municipal Traveller's Bungalow at 10.00 a.m. was attended by the Andhra Kesari, Prof. N.G. Ranga, Kandula Obul Reddy, P. Thimma Reddy, Gowthu Latchanna, Tenneti Viswanatham, Dr. T.V.S. Chalapathi Rao and Turlapati Kutumba Rao. Nannapaneni Venkata Subbaiah announced the formation of Andhra Praja Party.

Emergence of KMP

Later, on 15th and 16th of June 1951, a get-together was organized at Patna and an ad-hoc committee was formed with Acharya J. B. Kripalani as its Chairman, Andhra Kesari Prakasam Pantulu, K. Kelappan and Sucheta Kripalani as members. The Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party (K.M.P) was formed and Andhra Praja Party was merged with it. Prof. N.G. Ranga formed Krishik Lok Party, which later merged with Swatantra Party in 1960.Later, on 15th and 16th November 1951, Acharya J.B. Kripalani was invited to Vijayawada. A huge procession culminated into a public meeting at the Gandhiji Municipal High School ground. He addressed students separately at S.R.R. & C.V.R. Government College.

Birth and fall of Janata Party

In 1952 general elections, K.M.P. secured a good number of seats. After that, it was merged with Socialist Party paving the way for emergence of Praja Socialist Party (P.S.P).

The party had Jaya Prakash Narayana, Ram Manohar Lohia and Madhu Limiya as leaders.Later in 1977, Lok Nayak Jaya Prakash Narayana floated Janata Party, which dwindled in 1979 leading to the emergence of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

At the moment, hectic efforts are on to launch a non-BJP, non-Congress third front thus continuing the saga of a third front in the history of post-independent India.

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