M A I N   N E W S

Crisis deepens for Rabri
Santosh Jha

Patna, March 25
The threat perception to the Rabri government attained a new high on Sunday, as dissidents came out openly rolling the red carpet for the dissident leader and RJD MP, Mr Ranjan Yadav, at the Patna airport. The leader was received at the airport by a number of ministers, party legislators and known dissidents in an apparent show of strength that might send caution signals for RJD boss Laloo Yadav.

The Bahujan Samaj Party that is giving support to the Rabri coalition government also rendered a body blow to the government today saying it would not back the Rabri government if it falls down owing to its internal bickering.

The arrival of Mr Ranjan Yadav to the state capital has booted the dissident campaign against the government. Mr Ranjan Yadav hugging and garlanding the former minister, Mr. Illiyas Hussein, a Laloo-loyalist turned Laloo-basher, at the airport and then accompanying him to attend a meeting of dissidents at the latter’s home has given clear signals to the loyal camp that the dissidents mean business now.

Mr Ranjan Yadav said he would stay at Patna for five days and monitor the political scenario. He took sides with the Siwan MP, Md. Shahabuddin, as expected saying that the MP was subjected to police excesses and flayed the police action. He maintained that there was great contradiction between what the government said and what the party felt over the Siwan episode.

Meanwhile, the BSP has clearly said it would not come to the rescue of the Rabri government. The state chief and leader of legislative party of BSP, Mr Mahabali Singh, said its party would not participate either in the trust vote that the government might come in with or the no-trust brought in by the Opposition.

Now it is being readily accepted that Mr Haque quit owing to pressure from the Siwan MP, Mohammed Shahabuddin.