Cabinet recommends Rabri's dismissal
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Sept 22 — The Union Cabinet today recommended dismissal of the Rabri Devi-led Rashtriya Janata Dal Government in Bihar, barely a day after it won a vote of confidence in the state Assembly.

The Union Cabinet recommended the imposition of President’s rule under Article 356 and to place the Assembly in suspended animation.

The President, Mr K.R. Narayanan, who started consultation with experts and met political leaders indicated to a Congress delegation that he would not act in haste.

The recommendation of the Union Cabinet evoked sharp protest from Opposition parties and even brought to the fore differences in the Cabinet.

The Commerce Minister, Mr Ramakrishna Hegde reportedly sent a letter from Bangalore to the Prime Minister opposing the move, while the Law Minister and AIADMK nominee, Mr Thambidurai pleaded for dismissal of the Karunanidhi Government in Tamil Nadu before attending to the Bihar issue.

The Shiromani Akali Dal nominee and Union Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister, Mr Surjit Singh Barnala, could not attend the Cabinet meeting as he was indisposed.

The BJP-led coalition appeared to have given in to the pressure mounted on it by alliance partner, Samata Party which claimed the decision was in accordance with the promise made to the people of Bihar.

The BJP too welcomed the decision of the Centre.

The day’s development began after an emergency meeting of the Union Cabinet which decided to recommend imposition of President’s rule in the state as suggested by the state Governor, Mr Sunder Singh Bhandari in his report to the Centre, on grounds of failure of law and order in Bihar.

The Cabinet decision was conveyed to the President, Mr Narayanan, by the Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee who was accompanied by the Union Home Minister, Mr Lal Krishan Advani and the Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes.

After the meeting, Mr Advani told the media that "it was not just the law and order situation. The State seems to have withered away in Bihar".

The Cabinet decision came just a day after the over a year-old Rabri Devi-led Rashtriya Janata Dal Government won a vote of confidence in the Bihar Assembly yesterday.

Mrs Rabri Devi became the Chief Minister in July last year after the State Governor had allowed prosecution of the then Chief Minister and her husband, Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, in the multi-crore Fodder scam.

Expectedly the RJD Government found support from the Congress, the Left parties, and the Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha, which consists of the RJD and the Samajwadi Party.

The Morcha has given a call for ‘Bihar bandh’ tomorrow in protest against the decision to remove the Rabri Devi Government and also call on the President to convey its opposition to the move. The Left parties are also scheduled to meet Mr Narayanan tomorrow.

The Congress sent a delegation comprising Mr Sharad Pawar, Dr Manmohan Singh, Mr P Shivshanker, Mr Pranab Mukherjee and Mr Madhavrao Scindia. It conveyed the party’s stand opposing the Union Cabinet decision.

Later, Mr Pawar told correspondents that the President told the delegation he would hold consultations with legal and constitutional experts and meet political parties and that he would not act in haste.

AIADMK to oppose move

UNI: The AIADMK today warned the Centre that it would be forced to oppose the decision to clamp President’s Rule in Bihar in the Lok Sabha following the Union Cabinet’s decision to reject the party’s demand for the dismissal of the DMK government in Tamil Nadu.

Cabinet sources said the AIADMK demand for the dismissal of the Karunanidhi government was rejected on the ground that there was no Governor’s report recommending central rule in that state.

Sources said Law Minister M. Thambidurai made it clear that if the Centre went ahead with dismissal of the Bihar Government but spared Tamil Nadu, their party will be left with no option but to oppose the move when it came up for ratification before the Lok Sabha.

Sources said the Law Minister also pointed out that the state government could be dismissed without the Governor’s report and recalled that the Tamil Nadu government was dismissed in 1991 though the then state Governor Surjit Singh Barnala declined to give his report. Mr Barnala who is now a Union Minister was not present in the Cabinet meeting.

Mr Thambidurai made a spirited speech demanding the dismissal of the Karunanidhi Government and said the AIADMK alliance won 30 of the 39 Lok Sabha seats it had contested in the last Lok Sabha elections on the poll plank that the DMK government would be dismissed if they were elected to power. He also claimed that the law and order situation in the state has deteriorated warranting immediate action.

Barring Urban Development Minister Ram Jethmalani and Human Resources Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi no one in the Cabinet supported his plea. Sources said the Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee did not respond to the demand. Both the Defence Minister George Fernandes and Railway Minister Nitish Kumar made a forceful demand that the Central Government had no option but to dismiss the Rabri Devi government.

Rabri to fast unto death if sacked

PATNA, Sept 22 (PTI) — Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi today threatened to sit on a "fast unto death" in front of Raj Bhavan if her government was dismissed by the Centre.

Mrs Rabri Devi said she had decided to "fast unto death" if her ministry was dismissed.

"It is a murder of democracy that the Union Cabinet has recommended the dismissal of a duly elected government on flimsy grounds ... And I’m not going to tolerate such moves in the larger interests of the people of Bihar.

"Abhi Khalhi maine biswasmat me vijay paya tha .... aaj kya naubat aayi ki mere sarkar ko dismiss karne ki sifarish kar di gayee (I have secured confidence of the House just late last night. What has warranted the dismissal of my government)," she asked. "The people of the state will not tolerate such moves."

Charging Governor Sundar Singh Bhandari with being "biased", she said his statement on the Bihar situation was "unparalleled in the history of democracy when the state government was seeking a confidence vote in the House."

Meanwhile, the Bihar Administration has sounded a red alert in view of tomorrow’s statewide bandh by the ruling RJD to protest against the Centre’s move to impose President’s rule.

After an emergency Cabinet meeting, RJD ministers Jaiprakash Narayan Yadav and Vijay Krishna said the bandh was called in protest against the "discriminatory, unconstitutional and draconian action" of the Union Cabinet.

Party MLAs also held a dharna in front of Raj Bhavan.

Director-General of Police K.A. Jacob said all police stations had been put on the maximum alert and additional companies of paramilitary forces were being rushed to different places to maintain law and order during the bandh.

He said the state Home Department had already approached the Centre to provide 25 additional companies of the paramilitary forces to deal with situation.

Besides, four companies of the central forces were expected to arrive here from Jamshedpur.

Mr Jacob said special attention was being paid to protect vital installations and the railways, post offices and public sector undertakings.