Murder of Democracy in Bihar

‘Dissolution of Assembly a fraud on Constitution’

NDA press statement May 23, 2005

The decision of the UPA government to dissolve the Bihar Assembly is a fraud on the Constitution. The fact that it took this decision on the occasion of its first anniversary has once again exposed the thoroughly unscrupulous, anti-democratic and fascist character of the Congress-led alliance.

The UPA government's action is a gross abuse of Article 356 of the Constitution. It symbolizes the UPA's intolerant attitude towards any possibility of the opposition parties forming a government in any state. Twice before in the past one year, first in Goa and later in Jharkhand, the UPA tried to subvert the Constitution and flout established norms of parliamentary democracy. Yesterday's decision to dissolve the Bihar Assembly clearly indicates that the UPA has learnt no lesson whatsoever from the all-round flak it received after its previous two misadventures.

The dishonesty and double-standards of the UPA government are clear from the contrast between what it did in Goa and what it has done in Bihar. In Goa, we had demanded dissolution of the Assembly and holding of fresh elections. The UPA government decided to hold only by-elections with the hope of legitimizing the essentially illegitimate Congress government in Goa. In Bihar, however, it has decided to dissolve the Assembly when it was clear that a popular government of the NDA was about to be formed.

The decision to dissolve the Bihar Assembly is yet another proof of the UPA's determination to misuse the office of the Governor to further its own partisan political ends. Indeed, Governor Shri Buta Singh had politicized his office in a blatant manner.

The verdict of the people in the Bihar Assembly elections in February 2005 was clear: it was a mandate against the Lalu-Rabri misrule. Also, the NDA had emerged as the largest pre-poll alliance. However, since no political party or pre-poll alliance had secured a clear majority, the Assembly was placed under suspended animation in order for parties and alliances to explore the possibility of forming a government with the support of a majority of the MLAs.

In the past 3-4 months different parties, including those in the UPA, made attempts to form a popular government in Bihar. However, neither the RJD nor the Lok Janshakti Party could make any headway. In fact, legislators belonging to the LJP had begun to revolt against the party leadership's intransigence. There was intense desire both among the people and people's representatives belonging to different parties that the President's Rule should come to an end and Bihar should have a popular government.

In the past few weeks, this desire got crystallized in the form of more than 130 MLAs pledging their support to Shri Nitish Kumar to form the government. Indeed, Shri Nitish Kumar was all set to stake his claim to form the government today. The UPA did not want this to happen. Hence, it took the shamelessly hasty decision to recommend dissolution of the state Assembly. This is political intolerance of the worst kind.

The NDA strongly condemns the compliant role of Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in this sordid episode. It is obvious that he once again yielded to the pressures of the tainted Railway Minister, Shri Lalu Prasad Yadav, whose party had been trounced in the Bihar polls.
The ominous significance of the UPA government's decision transcends the boundaries of Bihar. The nation is being pushed towards the kind of situation that prevailed in the country prior to the imposition of the Emergency Rule in 1975. After all, it is the same kind of extreme intolerance towards the opposition and willingness to mount repeated assaults on the Constitution, which had led the Congress to curtail democracy and establish its authoritarian rule.

The NDA shall not permit this to happen. We shall launch a powerful mass struggle, both in Bihar and in other states, against this onslaught on democracy. The NDA also demands immediate recall of the Governor of Bihar, Shri Buta Singh, and appointment of a neutral and non-political person in his place.