The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : Bihar politics

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Friday, May 27, 2005

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Bihar politics

The UPA exercise, seeking to dissolve the Bihar Assembly, is another blow to the evolution of a federal polity in India. Unfortunately, while every small aspect of governance has been dealt with in detail in the Indian Constitution, formation of government in a State where there is no decisive verdict has been left to judicial interpretation and convention.

I have a suggestion on how to form a government in Bihar if the next election also throws up a hung Assembly. Follow the method applied for electing the Pope — lock the legislators up in the Assembly until they elect a leader within a specific period.

Surjeet Singh,
Kangra, Himachal Pradesh

The UPA Government claims the presidential proclamation on dissolution of the Bihar Assembly was necessitated by the worst form of horse-trading between the JD (U) and the MLAs of the LJP. But this was facilitated by the unduly long period for which the House was kept in suspended animation. When it was clear that there was no reasonable chance of any party or coalition forming a government, the Governor should have acted — he should not have waited for a politically opportune moment.

S.S. Viswanathan,
Bangalore

The Union Government loudly proclaims that the Nepal King should lift the emergency and restore popular democratic government at the earliest. But in its own backyard, it murders democracy. Of course, there were charges of horse-trading but they should have been established beyond doubt before taking a decision on dissolving the Assembly.

A. Muppidathiraj,
Tenkasi, T.N.

The Centre seems to be hyperactive in cases involving States in which the Congress is not part of the power-sharing arrangement. Goa and Jharkhand being two examples. The UPA could have risen above partisan considerations at least in Bihar where fresh elections mean huge expenditure of the taxpayers' money.

Mohit Kumar,
Munger, Bihar

Referring to Bihar, the man of unquestioned integrity and upholder of values, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh informed the nation that it is the constitutional duty of the government to see that nefarious practices such as horse-trading do not spoil the good name of the country. What good name is he talking about?

Prasanna Vishy,
Chennai

Horse-trading is a Congress legacy. So the Centre led by the Congress cannot adopt a holier-than-thou attitude!

S.R. Devaprakash,
Tumkur, Karnataka

It is highly disappointing that a popular and stable government could not be formed in Bihar. While this is largely thanks to the split verdict given by the voters, it is also because the Congress is unable to keep off Article 356, which has been misused by it many a time in the past.

If horse-trading was indeed so unacceptable, why was the same yardstick not used in Goa and Jharkhand? Because neither of these States had a Ram Vilas Paswan who wanted to rule with 29 MLAs? Can Bihar, which has registered negative growth, afford a Rs. 500-crore exercise again?

Anand Vardhan Bandi,
Morrisville, North Carolina

What a waste of hard earned money! The UPA Government accusing the JD (U)-BJP of indulging in horse-trading is like the pot calling the kettle black. As for the LJP and its leader, they should contest the next election on a single plank — Muslim Chief Minister. Only then will Mr. Paswan's secular credentials — over which government formation in Bihar was held hostage — be vindicated.

K. Vaidyanthan,

Paloncha, A.P.
The cost that is going to be incurred in another election could have been used for development activities.

As for the horse-trading charge, whether the support of the LJP MLAs to Nitish Kumar was on account of inducement, coercion, defection or merger could have been determined on the floor of the House.

Sravana Ramachandran,
Chennai

The worst form of horse-trading for which the Bihar Assembly was sought to be dissolved is yet another example of the shady deals between politicians as a class, irrespective of party affiliation.

V. Sambasivan,
Coimbatore

The whole Bihar episode was certainly amusing. The promptness with which the Centre sent and received the requisite documents to and from the President in Moscow was in stark contrast to its sluggish approach to files relating to vital development work, which is forever pending.

Kunal Kashyap,
Rayagada, Orissa

That the State has been driven to another election in barely three months' time is unfortunate. What is more unfortunate is that the poor people have to bear the brunt of the actions of politicians.

These people are hardly aware of, or party to, the games the political parties play and involuntarily become entrapped in the sham that is an election in Bihar.

Deepak Kumar,
New Delhi

Can a poor country like India afford such frequent elections? Bihar is particularly worrisome, one, because it has a big electorate and, two, because candidates who squander huge sums of money to get elected indulge in corruption later to make good the loss. It is a vicious cycle.

R. Ramarathinam,
Pondicherry

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