At least two senior UF leaders, chairman H D Deve Gowda and former Union minister S R Bommai, today came out in support of the RLM saying the objective of the new front and the UF was the same; to fight communal forces.

Similarly, there were stepped up appeals to the Congress to take the lead in forming an alternative government. Gowda even hinted that the UF would have no objection to any nominee of the Congress, including Sonia Gandhi, for prime ministership.

``It is for that party (Congress) to decide,'' he said.

``We will co-operate with Mulayam and Laloo in their fight against communal forces. And if the Congress is prepared to take the initiative to stop the damage to federalism we are prepared to cooperate,'' Gowda said.

Replying to aquestion on former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar's statement that an alternative government could be formed in a week's time, he said Shekhar had also put forward the rider that this was possible only if all the secular parties come together.

Gowda was cool to Mulayam's criticism of Janata Dal leaders I K Gujral and Ram Vilas Paswan, who, the SP chief said, took the help of the BJP and its allies to get elected to the Lok Sabha.

``It is not our concern that the BJP and the Akali Dal did not put candidates against Gujral,'' he said.

The former prime minister also released copies of the letter he had written to Prime Minister A B Vajpayee on the Ayodhya issue in the context of the Sangh Parivar's resolve to build a Ram temple on the Babri Masjid site.

He has requested Vajpayee to muster the support of all political parties to enforce the rule of law and to uphold the Constitution.

Bommai, while refuting reports that he was joining the RLM, said the UF did not regret Mulayam walking out of it.

``After all, the new front has the objective of opposing communal forces,'' he said.

He asserted that there was ``every possibility'' of the formation of an alternative government. Asked if the UF was ready to support a Congress-led government, he said: ``Sure... Why not? Didn't we take their support for 18 months ?''

Political circles say the non-BJP forces, under the leadership of the new front, are planning to move a no-confidence motion against the Vajpayee government when Parliament resumes its session.

In the event, the Congress would also have to take a position, they say. The Congress, it may be recalled, had backtracked at the last minute on its plans of moving an adjournment motion on the Ayodhya issue.