The Hindu : Front Page : Bihar comes under President's rule

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Tuesday, Mar 08, 2005

Front Page

Front Page

Bihar comes under President's rule

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, MARCH 7. The President, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, tonight approved the Union Cabinet's decision recommending President's rule in Bihar following the stalemate in government formation.

A Rashtrapati Bhavan spokesman said Mr. Kalam approved the decision to bring Bihar under Central rule and also to place the Assembly under suspended animation.

Briefing newspersons after a Cabinet meeting, the Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, said: "The Cabinet has decided to recommend to the President to impose President's rule and put the Legislative Assembly under suspended animation."

With last month's Assembly elections throwing up a hung House in the State, the Governor, Buta Singh, on Sunday sent his recommendation to the Centre. The Lok Jan Shakti Party chief, Ram Vilas Paswan's refusal to support neither the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) nor the Bharatiya Janata Party in government-formation resulted in the deadlock.

The two RJD Cabinet Ministers, Lalu Prasad and Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, did not attend the Cabinet meeting, stating that they could not be a party to this decision. Mr. Lalu Prasad put the onus for his decision on Mr. Paswan, who also stayed away from the meeting. However, Mr. Lalu Prasad made it clear that the RJD would do nothing to cause harm to the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government.

Mr. Paswan, who was in Delhi when the Cabinet meeting took place at the Prime Minister's residence, also said the UPA's stability would not be affected.

Lalu meets Sonia

Mr. Lalu Prasad met the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, Mr. Shivraj Patil, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) leaders, Harkishan Singh Surjeet and Sitaram Yechury, before leaving for Patna just before the Cabinet meeting got under way.

Mr. Lalu Prasad informed Ms. Gandhi about his decision to stay away from the meeting besides assuring her that his party would continue to remain with the Congress. Asked whether the RJD would seek the ouster of the LJP from the UPA, Mr. Prasad said: "Why should I demand it. It is better if Paswan goes back to the NDA."

The Congress did not say whether the LJP should leave the UPA following serious differences with the RJD. "We do not decide the composition of the Council of Ministers... We treat the allies with respect and they decide who should be part of it. The Congress and its allies are committed to the Common Minimum Programme," the party spokesperson, Anand Sharma, said.

Advani's plea to Manmohan

The BJP president, L.K. Advani, called on the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, and urged him to appoint "neutral" advisers to the Governor. The Congress joined the issue, with its spokesperson saying that when the party was in the Opposition it never made such suggestions.

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