Railways targeted on eve of Bihar bandh

By K. Balchand

PATNA, MARCH 4. Widespread protests by RJD supporters today disrupted rail and road traffic in a big way, even as the Left and democratic forces were seemingly making common cause in pursuance of their demand for the removal of the Governor, Mr.V.C. Pande, for his alleged unconstitutional action of appointing Mr. Nitish Kumar as Chief Minister.

The Governor's action, which evoked sharp reactions on Friday when RJD supporters protested before the Raj Bhavan, took a violent turn today ahead of the call given by the RJD, the CPI(M) and the Congress(I) for a Bihar bandh tomorrow. This coincides with the CPI(ML)'s call for a State bandh demanding the removal of the Governor as also the Chief Minister.

(According to PTl, an alert has been sounded throughout the State in view of the bandh call. The Chief Minister has asked the administration to ``sternly deal with law- breakers and take extra security care to protect railway property.'')

The movement of trains had been totally paralysed on the Howrah- Patna-Delhi and Patna-Gaya sectors and the Sonepur division. National Highways were affected by road blockades. NH 31 remained closed for over nine hours before it was reopened. Railway authorities were forced to cancel more than a dozen trains. The Howrah-bound Rajdhani Express has been stranded at Fatuah since morning.

The major protest was in and around the constituency that the Chief Minister represents - Barh. Demonstrators uprooted the railway track near Mokamah Halt, while fish-plates were removed at Khusrupur, Karaunta, Bakhtiarpur and Pandarak. Railway signals were damaged at various places and the protesters tied their cattle-heads to railway tracks obstructing traffic.

Engines of two trains were detached at Bakthiarpur and Parsa Bazar and driven away leaving the coaches behind. At the time of filing this report, several important trains, such as the Hingiri Express and the Howrah-Delhi Express, remain detained at various stations, where the RJD, CPI(M) and Congress(I) supporters staged demonstrations.

The Chief Minister described these actions as undemocratic and violent and warned that strong action would be taken if the situation did not normalise in a day or two. Mr. Kumar held a meeting with senior officials, including the new Chief Secretary, Mr. V.S. Dubey, who took charge last night.

The RJD president, Mr. Laloo Prasad Yadav, said the people's reaction was spontaneous. He said the agitation would be continued for at least a week. He said that a coordination committee would be set up to spearheaded the movement against the ``fascist and communal forces'' out to undermine democracy in the country as a whole.

Rabri writes to Narayanan

The RJD Legislature Party leader, Mrs. Rabri Devi, has urged the President, Mr. K.R. Narayanan, to immediately intervene and set aside the ``arbitrary and unconstitutional'' decision of the Governor. In a letter faxed to the President, Mrs. Devi said ``being the custodian of the Constitution, Mr. Narayanan should immediately take steps to rescind the Governor's order.''

Nitish exudes confidence

On his part, the Chief Minister said he would convene the Assembly by March 7 and seek a vote of confidence by March 10. He exuded optimism about proving his majority.

Mr. Kumar parried questions on the how he intended to bridge the shortfall, having procured the support of only 151 MLAs thus far. The minimum requirement for a simple majority is 162.

While Mr. Yadav has claimed the support of 161 MLAs, the task of the NDA becomes difficult with the CPI(ML), with six MLA, deciding to vote against the motion. The CPI, which has kept itself aloof from the bandh call, is likely to take a decision on the matter soon.

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