RJD ready to face NDA challenge

By Our Staff Correspondent

PATNA, MARCH 24. Having won a crucial battle inside the Bihar Assembly, the ruling RJD has decided to meet the challenge the NDA threatens to pose on the streets.

Even as NDA leaders threatened to launch a campaign if the Chief Minister, Mrs. Rabri Devi, refused to resign after the CBI file a chargesheet in the Disproportionate Assets case, the RJD, with the support of its allies, has decided to launch a counter- offensive against the BJP- led combine for misusing and politicising autonomous agencies, including the CBI, to fulfil ``its selfish political objectives and foisting fascism on the country''.

The RJD-today held a meeting of its allies, which it claimed was attended by the Congress(I) representative too. However, no Congress(I) representative figured in the campaign committee formed to launch the movement. The committee has been formed under the leadership of Mr. Chandi Prasad (CPI-M), and has members from the RJD (Mr. Bhola Prasad Singh) and the MCC Mr. Uma Shanker Shukla, among others.

The leaders appealed to all non-NDA parties to join hands to expose the misdeeds of the BJP-led alliance. They charged that while central paramilitary forces had been used to browbeat RJD voters, Doordarshan had sought to influence voters through concocted exit polls. After the elections, the Raj Bhavan was misused to appoint Mr. Nitish Kumar as Chief Minister, while Doordarshan had claimed that both the Congress(I) and the BSP would split, they alleged.

They wondered why charges had not been framed against the Union Home Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani and the Human Resource Minister, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, in the Babri Masjid demolition case. They also pointed to the CBI's failure in the hawala case and said the agency had not reopened the case even after the Central Vigilance Commission had declared that both Mr. Advani and Dr. Joshi had not explained their assets beyond their known sources of income.

The NDA held its first workers meeting on Thursday and the leaders found themselves at the receiving end with the second ring - led by Mr. Narendra Singh, Independent MLA, attached with the JD(U) - charging that the leaders were responsible for letting the people down by fighting over seat-sharing and personal ambitions. Almost all leaders, including Mr. Kumar and the Union Communications Minister, Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan, said mistakes had been committed, but added that they would not be repeated.

Mr. Kumar said the campaign, to demand the resignation of the Chief Minister, would be launched the day the CBI files its chargesheet in the disproportionate assets case. He said the NDA would expose the Congress(I)'s betrayal by holding a meeting in Kahalgao in the constituency of the Speaker, Mr. Sadanand Singh, on April 10.

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