Laloo call to dismiss Advani

By Our Staff Correspondent

PATNA, OCT. 2. On a day of ``power'' politics, the RJD supremo, Mr. Laloo Prasad Yadav, devolved power at the grassroot level, but on the other hand, sought to assert his supremacy vis-a-vis the constituents of the NDA put together.

Even though he failed to keep his date to hand over power to the three tier panchayat raj system at a public meeting, due to extraneous circumstances, Mr. Yadav nevertheless honoured his commitment to commemorate Gandhi Jayanti by implementing his concept of gram swaraj.

But he also spoke out against the Union Home Minister, Mr. L. K. Advani and Union Ministers and convenor of the NDA, Mr. George Fernandes.

The former Chief Minister demanded that the Prime Minister, Mr. Vajpayee, dismiss Mr. Advani from his Cabinet in the wake of the terrorist attack on the Jammu and Kashmir legislature premises yesterday. He maintained that the Union Home Minister was directly responsible for the security measures in the valley.

Mr. Yadav was particularly severe on Mr. Fernandes and the Union Ministers who alleged that the State was a fit case for President's rule. Mr. Yadav took objection to Mr. Fernandes' statement over the ban on SIMI and pointed out that the State Government issued the necessary directive within half an hour of receiving the Centre's order.

He said all offices of SIMI had been sealed and it was for the district magistrates and the SPs to conduct raids and arrest those identified with anti-national activities.

He counter-alleged that Mr. Fernandes was a terrorist who had been implicated in the Baroda dynamite case and was communally biased, being associated with a communal party. He charged that Mr. Fernandes visited Muzaffarpur to find out whether it was once again a safe constituency for him not sure about Nalanda.

Mr. Yadav accused Union Ministers of creating disorder in the State through their statements and demanded that they control their tongue.

Earlier the Chief Minister, Mrs. Rabri Devi, released the booklet enlisting the powers that had been delegated to the panchayats, claiming that the dream of the Father of the Nation had been fulfilled. She also said that the meeting of the elected representatives would now be held in November. The Government had to cancel the show following the Patna High Court's ban on the use of private schools for accommodation purposes.

PTI adds: While claiming that the Bihar Government had taken all measures to curb the activities of the banned SIMI, Mr. Laloo Yadav, however, asked the centre why it had not banned the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal and other organisations so far. ``We want an answer... There should not be any discrimination in imposition of ban,'' he said.

In his capacity as Bihar Cricket Association (BCA) president, Mr. Yadav said he would seek legal options if there was any move to ``derecognise'' his organisation by the newly elected Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Mr. Yadav, however, said he had not received any official communique from BCCI president, Mr. Jagmohan Dalmiya, reversing the decision of his predecessor, Mr. A. C. Muthiah, who had allowed the Laloo Prasad-led BCA to cast its vote in the election to the members of the BCCI on September 29.

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Section  : Other States
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