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

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 30, 2005

Opinion

Opinion - Letters to the Editor

Bihar affairs

The dissolution of the Bihar Assembly was unwarranted considering the enormous amount of expenditure another election will involve. How peaceful elections are in Bihar is well known. There are many instances of poll-related violence. Besides, what is the guarantee that once again the voters will not give a fractured verdict? Lalu Prasad and Ram Vilas Paswan can continue to play spoilsport, as they did this time, and push the State into another deadlock.

K.V. Seetharamaiah,
Hassan, Karnataka

* * *

All the dissolution has done is to impose another election on the people of Bihar. Elections seem to have become a picnic for some — politicians thoroughly enjoy it and the people pay for it.

Bhanu Sekhar,
Warangal, A.P.

* * *

Dissolution was the only option left for the Centre to curb rampant horse- trading. Bihar needed a stable government and the means adopted by the National Democratic Alliance would not have provided it. Let the people of Bihar decide what they want in the next election.

Suhail Sabir,
Aligarh, U.P.

* * *

The argument that persuading LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan was the only legitimate route to power (editorial "No alternative to dissolution," May 24) reinforces the view that political parties are only an extension of their leader. This was further vindicated by the dissolution of the Bihar Assembly — on the ground that there was horse-trading — when a sizeable group of LJP MLAs made an effort to help form a government. It would thus seem that in our scheme of things, elected representatives are no more than puppets in the hands of their so-called leaders and cannot act on their own.

P. Ishvarya,
Kochi, Kerala

* * *

What Bihar witnessed was political drama — with a liberal dose of emotion, suspense, climax and anti-climax thrown in. It also helped people see through the pretence of all the political parties. The Congress, after what it has done all these years, recommended dissolution to end horse-trading. That the RJD was behind the decision was evident to all. The LJP, which swore to remain equidistant from both the BJP and the RJD before the elections, saw itself breaking due to the greed for power, and the BJP-JD (U) combine cried foul when its attempt to get the numbers failed. The Governor, for his part, did what was expected of him.

It is time politicians stopped misinterpreting the people's mandate for narrow political gains. The anti-defection law should be extended to pre-election alliances. Any party trying to realign after the elections should be barred from forming a government. And last but not the least, the Governor's post must be made apolitical and its dignity restored.

Kumar Rahul,
Hardwar, Uttaranchal

* * *

In undue haste, the Governors of Goa and Jharkhand installed Chief Ministers of their choice and had egg on their face. But the Bihar Governor did not seem to take the cue — he recommended the dissolution of the legislature after the breakaway LJP legislators decided to extend support to the JD (U)-BJP. The Assembly could have been convened to test the claims of the various parties. Another election is a waste of taxpayers' money.

B.V. Rao,
Bangalore

* * *

Lack of development, economic backwardness, and a bleak future should be the real concern as far as Bihar is concerned. Expecting corrupt politicians to deliver on these fronts is expecting the impossible. Bihar should be freed from politicians for at least two years. That includes the Governor and his advisors. A person of known integrity should be put in charge of the administration. Power should not be transferred to politicians unless the State makes some progress.

Haseeb Khan,
Nagpur

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