Prime Minister I K Gujral yesterday said he would like Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav to resign on his own, so that the United Front government is spared of the need to dismiss Yadavs state government. The Bihar stalwart, however, refused to quit even after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) yesterday filed a chargesheet in Patna against him and several others in the multi-crore fodder scam.
One of my ministers has been accused. I have taken his resignation. I thought I have given him (Yadav) enough hints from that. If it does not register, then the question arises whether the Centre should take any action or not, Gujral said.
Yadavs supporters in the United Front government, Jainarain Nishad and Kanti Singh, sought Gujrals intervention in reining the CBI which conducted raids in connection with the fodder scam. There was, however, talk of the two ministers quitting if an adamant Yadav decided to split the party.
Gujral is faced with a dilemma: several constituents of the Front want him to take action as a senior Janata Dal leader, but at the same time regional party leaders like N Chandrababu Naidu are against invoking Article 356 in this case. through a very difficult time...It is unable to meet and decide anything, Gujral remarked.
The only way out is Yadav quitting on his own, but this appeared unlikely given his statements yesterday after the chargesheet was filed.
Front leaders, however, appeared confident that the Laloo Yadav episode would not have any fallout on the Gujral government, but were clearly worried about the seemingly irreconciliable differences between Yadav and senior Janata Dal leader Sharad Yadav, who yesterday called upon party MLAs in Bihar to revolt against the Chief Minister.