NDA says democracy murdered; LJP, RJD in blame-game

New Delhi: BJP-led NDA on Monday reacted angrily to the dissolution of Bihar Assembly terming the Centre's action as "murder of democracy" while two other key players in the state politics RJD and LJP blamed each other for the development and the Congress said that there was no option left.



Demanding immediate holding of elections, the NDA called for a Bihar Bandh on Tuesday to protest against the Centre's action. It also demanded recall of Governor Buta Singh accusing him of acting as a "UPA spokesman" and said the opposition had lost confidence in him.



BJP said it will challenge the decision in a court of law. RJD supremo Lalu Prasad welcomed the dissolution of the 243-member House and predicted political realignments to "correct past mistakes". Without naming LJP Chief Ram Vilas Paswan, whose party had held the key to government formation after the fractured verdict from the last Assembly elections, Lalu said people of Bihar would not forgive those responsible for imposition of President's Rule and dissolution of the state Assembly.



However, turning the tables against Prasad, Paswan blamed the RJD leader for rejecting all his proposals for having a secular government led by a Muslim Chief Minister. "Who is responsible for dissolution of the state Assembly? He (Lalu) himself wanted it as he was feeling very uneasy out of power."



Accusing RJD and BJP of trying to break his party and playing a "dirty game", Paswan alleged that BJP and NDA had "infiltrated" persons into his party to contest assembly polls and then desert him.



Governor Buta Singh, who is here, rubbished the charge that he had acted under "duress" and said his recommendation for dissolution of Assembly was aimed at preventing horse trading and protecting democracy.



NDA leaders held an emergency meeting following which its Chairman and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee termed the Centre's action as a "murder of democracy" and a "dictatorial step" and accused the Congress of taking the anti-democratic step like earlier in Goa and Jharkhand.



JD-U leader Nitish Kumar, whom the NDA had projected as Bihar Chief Minister in the last polls, demanded appointment of an "apolitical" person as Governor to ensure free and fair polls as Buta Singh was acting as "spokesman of UPA" and said "we have lost confidence in him".



Welcoming the decision, AICC general secretary in charge of Bihar Harikesh Bahadur said there was no other option in the wake of large scale "horse-trading, kidnapping and bribing" of MLAs by BJP and NDA.



Congress spokesman Anand Sharma said that the mandate of the last assembly polls was "definitely" for secular forces and not for BJP-led NDA. He said it was not merely the horse-trading but the "abduction of MLAs", which has been a "characteristic trait" of BJP which was a matter of "serious concern".



"In the interest of democracy, a fresh mandate from people in Bihar is the only way out", he said. Both CPI(M) and CPI, which support the UPA government at the Centre from outside, also welcomed the dissolution.