Surjeet who revels in fishing in troubled waters and begins making moves onbehalf of the Left and its friends, often without authorisation, todaysucceeded in pushing another constituent from the third force into the armsof the BJP.

Last year, it was the Telugu Desam Party. Today it was the Dravida MunnetraKazhagam, one of the founder-members of the erstwhile United Front. And,ironically, the party for whom the UF ditched its government.

By pushing the DMK to the BJP, the Left has strengthened the BJP'santi-Congress plank at its own expense, many Third Front leaders feel.

Although non-BJP parties still have half a chance of pulling it off,Surjeet's overzealous but unilateral moves had many seething. Said DMKleader Murasoli Maran: ``The pity is that they are ignoring us. Until lastweek we were with the third front but we were left high and dry.''

When the UF was in power, TMC chief G K Moopanar had argued that theCongress be persuaded to join it. ``But who prevented it? Our Left friends.They objected to it very vehemently,'' Maran said. Similarly, the TMC wasangry and hurt that it had not at all been consulted by the Left (readSurjeet). ``We were not even invited when the Opposition leaders called onthe President the other day,'' complained a TMC leader.

In fact, Surjeet has come under fire in the Janata Dal as well. At lastevening's political affairs committee meeting of the JD, Surjeet wasattacked by former prime minister I K Gujral. ``Why should we be enslaved toSurjeet for ever? He needn't give certificates that somebody is secular andsomebody else is not,'' he is reported to have said.