Govt Wary Of Dismissing Bihar Govt

Despite all the hoopla the Centre is unlikely to dismiss the Rabri Devi government in Bihar, at least for some more time, according to senior BJP leaders. The government would first try to develop a wider consensus on the issue, they hold.

The Centre's decision to send a team to Bihar to make an on the spot assessment of the law and order situation is also being viewed by these leaders as an attempt by the Vajpayee government to buy time.

Bihar Governor Sunder Singh Bhandari's report on the law and order situation in Bihar was sufficient to impose President Rule on the state, one leader pointed out. The reasons for not doing so, they say, is the chain reaction that it might set off vis-a-vis Jayalalitha and Tamil Nadu. The AIADMK chief has been pressing for the dismissal of the Krunanidhi government on the grounds of deteriorating law and order situation in her state for quite some time now.

 

Besides, the government may not succeed in getting such an imposition ratified by the Rajya Sabha where the parties in the government do not enjoy a majority. The Rajya Sabha could only return such a proposal once it is passed by the Lok Sabha. However, the Upper House would have to ratify the proposal if the Lok Sabha again passes it with or without changes, a BJP leader pointed out.

Another important factor is the apprehension of some members of Vajpayee's cabinet that President K R Narayanan might disapprove dismissal of a state government unless there is a fool-proof case for this, a BJP leader said.

Narayanan had demonstrated this earlier when he returned the IK Gujral government's decision to impose President's rule on Uttar Pradesh, an action the BJP had lauded. The Vajpayee government could not take chances with the President, the leader held.

The worst still could be the AIADMK's veiled threat to withdraw support to the Vajpayee government if the DMK government in Tamil Nadu was not dismissed. Some BJP leaders hold this to be a threat she would not carry out as she would have no option but to sail with the Vajpayee government. However, dismissal of the Rabri Devi government would push Jayalalitha further to the wall and leave her with few options, one BJP office-bearer held. This might endanger the government's survival as it is dependent on the crucial support of the AIADMK, he said. Already Jayalalitha has cancelled her proposed visit to Delhi in order to step up pressure on Vajpayee.

Also, similar demand can come from other states like West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, the BJP leader held. Already, Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee has demanded imposition of President's rule in West Bengal, he pointed out. The efforts of the Vajpayee government, thus, has been to develop a wider consensus on the use of Article 356 in Bihar. This would mean convincing the main Opposition party, the Congress and the Left parties on the need for Central intervention in the state, the BJP leader said.