NEW DELHI/PATNA, 8 March 2005 — The federal government yesterday imposed president’s rule in Bihar where legislative polls last month produced a fractured assembly, officials said.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Cabinet also placed Bihar’s provincial assembly in “suspended animation” and sent its recommendations to President Abdul Kalam to endorse, government officials said.
“The Cabinet recommended president’s rule as the term of the 12th Bihar Assembly ended last midnight and no political party or group could claim a simple majority required for the formation of the government,” an official from the prime minister’s office said.
“A presidential notification to this effect is expected later Monday night,” he added.
Presidential rule empowers federally appointed provincial governors with sweeping powers including the authority to reconvene suspended state legislatures and holding of fresh elections.
Federal Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and Steel Minister Ramvilas Paswan stayed away from the crucial Cabinet meeting.
No political group including the Congress party could muster the needed majority of 122 members in the 243-seat house in the ballot, which pushed Bihar into political turmoil, prompting Governor Buta Singh to call overnight for federal rule.
Paswan, seen as kingmaker in Bihar, declined to team up with regional strongman Lalu to form a coalition government in Bihar, India’s second most populous state with 80 million people, and instead had pressed for the imposition of federal rule.
Lalu, whose Rashtriya Janata Dal ruled Bihar for 15 years until the provincial polls in February, has threatened to launch protests if governor Buta Singh took over.
Just before the Cabinet met yesterday, Lalu discussed the situation with Home Minister Shivraj Patil. Later, he said: “For the first time in history, people are trying not to stake claim to form the government but are trying to keep me out.”
Interestingly, Lalu asserted that the Bihar imbroglio will not affect the Congress-led UPA alliance at the center. He said: “UPA will not be embarrassed because of me. People in Bihar are upset because the secular forces have been defeated. Ram Vilas Paswan is to be blamed.”
Meanwhile, the state Chief Secretary K.A.H. Subramanian has ordered that all files be removed from the offices of outgoing ministers. And that includes caretaker Chief Minister Rabri Devi. The principal secretary to Rabri Devi has been ordered to return all the files. Subramanian said he would also issue a separate circular for withdrawing facilities allotted to ministers, including vehicles, telephones and government staff.
BJP Moves SC Against Soren Govt Installation in Jharkhand
The Bhartiya Janata Party’s chief ministerial candidate in Jharkhand Arjun Munda has moved a petition in the Supreme Court.
He has challenged the state governor’s decision not to call the single largest pre-poll alliance, the BJP-JDU group, to form the government.
In the petition, Munda has also requested for the assembly session to be brought forward to prevent horse-trading.
The BJP fears that it might find it difficult to keep its flock together if the session is called as scheduled on March 15. The petition says it fears police action against some of the independent MLAs, which should be restrained.
While the MLAs belonging to the NDA camp are holidaying in Rajasthan, Arjun Munda has returned to Ranchi ahead of the assembly session. Munda is confident that the NDA will be able to prove its majority in the house. Although the situation can get really tight and everything could depend on just one vote, he appears overconfident.
“I can say with confidence that despite all their machinations, we will be able to prove that we had, we have and will continue to have majority support,” says Munda.
