NEW DELHI, 15 October 2005 — With the first phase of the Bihar Assembly elections scheduled to be held in the coming week, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is going all out to exploit every available opportunity to hit the headlines and turn the electoral tide to its advantage.
Before going to Patna yesterday for campaigning, BJP chief L.K. Advani led the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) delegation to meet President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Thursday. The delegation urged the president to advise Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to resign and recall Bihar Governor Buta Singh.
The NDA has begun pursuing this course in the wake of the Supreme Court having recently declared the dissolution of the Bihar Assembly as “unconstitutional.”
Justifying NDA’s demand, Advani said: “We told the president that you have been misled by the union Cabinet. There was no basis for recommending the dissolution of the house, particularly at the time when he (Kalam) was abroad.” He made these comments on reaching Patna airport, before leaving for campaigning in the state.
“President Kalam should also intervene in the situation arising out of the Supreme Court ruling holding the dissolution of the Bihar Assembly unconstitutional,” Advani said.
“The PM has said he doesn’t disown the moral responsibility for the dissolution of the house declared unconstitutional by the apex court. He should quit immediately,” Advani said.
Accusing Buta Singh of “blatant violation” of the model code of conduct, Advani said: “The Election Commission has already found Governor Buta Singh guilty of taking several decisions in blatant violation of the model code of conduct for elections. Free and fair elections in Bihar cannot be possible so long as Buta Singh is allowed to continue.”
Pointing out the governor’s recommendations for the imposition of president’s rule and the dissolution of the Bihar Assembly having already been disapproved of, Advani asserted: “He should not be allowed to continue.” While Advani displayed no reluctance in answering questions targeting the Indian premier and the Bihar governor, he chose to remain quiet when confronted on problems brewing in his camp.
Advani refused to entertain queries on Uma Bharati replacing Babulal Gaur as Madhya Pradesh chief minister.
Led by Advani, the NDA members who met the president on Thursday, included NDA convener George Fernandes, party leaders Jaswant Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Vijay Kumar Malhotra and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Shiromani Akali Dal MP Rattan Singh Ajnala.
