However, he indicated that the Front may provide support to a Congress-led alternative to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government at the Centre, stating, ``For certain purposes we will work together with the Congress''. Bardhan, who has been re-elected the CPI general secretary, told the media that support to the Congress, ``may not hold good at all times''.

Bardhan said he did not think the Jain Commission report, which inquired into the conspiracy angle of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi's assassination, will hamper relations between the DMK and the Congress.

He said the recently-concluded party congress had given top priority for a broad-based campaign against communalism and for secularism. ``All secular elements shouldbe drawn into this campaign and the BJP must be fought ideologically, politically and practically'', he added.

The 17th party congress also decided to take up agitational programmes against the BJP Government, including observing October 12 as anti-price rise day, a general strike on December 11 against economic liberalisation, and a massive march to Parliament during the Budget session in March next year to highlight various policy matters.

Meanwhile, Tamil Maanila Congress president G K Moopanar today said his party welcomed the formation of a Third Front and declared that his party would join it, if invited.

Addressing a media conference, he said he awaited the evolution of the front mooted by the CPI, CPI (M) and DMK. CPI (M) General Secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet spoke to him on the telephone on the formation of the new front, he said, indicating that the TMC is likely to participate in the deliberations, related to the Third Front initiative, in New Delhi nest month.

Presenting his assessmentof the prevailing situation in the country, he said the political system as well as the parties supporting it, including the BJP, were at the crossroads.

The TMC leader said he did not know whether the United Front still existed as it had not met for a long time, and added the TMC needed time to assess the concept, strength and objectives of the proposed Third Front.

Moopanar indicated that the bottomline of the new front, largely conceived as an anti-BJP front by the Left, would be to extend support to the Congress in forming an alternative government.

Recalling that he had been emphasising for over two years the need to include the Congress in any ruling arrangement, he defined the basic characteristic of the front: it has to be secular in its outlook.

In this context, he pointed out that the political situation had undergone a qualitative change. The United Front Governments in 1996 and 1997 were supported by the Congress from the outside, leading to problems.

In case the Vajpayee Governmentcollapsed, there will be a serious attempt to build an alternative because no political party is prepared to face another election to the Lok Sabha, he added.

The idea of the Third Front had to be seen in the context of a politically viable group of parties supporting the Congress to form a government, instead of numerous small parties, acutely conscious of maintaining their identities, extending support, he explained. Such a front would be helpful in co-ordinating support to the Congress.

Describing the alliance between the DMK and TMC as electoral, the TMC president pointed out that his party was not sharing power with the DMK in the Government.

However, even if the DMK and TMC parted company in future, his ``good relations'' with DMK president M Karunanidhi would continue, he said. He said the parties were not currently fighting each other.

There was no change in the TMC stand regarding its relationship with the Congress, Moopanar said, adding that the party would maintain its separate identity andhold Sonia Gandhi and her family in high esteem. It was now for the Congress to take a decision on the TMC's offer of co-ordination, he said.

On the stand-off between the Bihar Government and the Centre, he said while the TMC was not for removing Article 356 from the Constitution altogether, it was against any misuse of the provision. It was not fair on the part of the BJP-led Government to attempt to destabilise the Rabri Devi Government, he said, holding the BJP's allies responsible for the crisis.