Laloo's threats irk United Front leadership

Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi

There is resentment in the United Front over Laloo Prasad Yadav's threat to unleash a "scorched earth policy" if he removed as chief minister of Bihar. The Left parties, meanwhile, continued demanding that he should step down if chargesheeted.

Laloo Yadav made the threat on Sunday in Patna while addressing the workers of the Bihar Janata Dal unit. Senior UF leaders said the leadership has taken note the threat and Prime Minister I K Gujral has discussed the matter with senior Cabinet colleagues.

A prominent leader at the Communist Party of India-Marxist headquarters in New Delhi said the time for threats was over and that the Bihar chief minister should read the writing on the wall and quit. He said the party leadership had pointed out to Gujral that Laloo Prasad Yadav was turning public opinion against himself.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah said if he was in the Bihar chief minister's shoes he would have handed over a conditional resignation to the governor and sought that he be reinstated if the charges against him were not proved.

While both chief ministers believe the people have to be the final judges, Dr Abdullah suggests quitting before seeking their assistance; Laloo Prasad Yadav prefers not to chance handing in his resignation before seeking public support.

Significantly, his brother-in-law, party legislator Sadhu Yadav, is taking the initiative to keep at bay those demanding his resignation.

Sadhu Yadav has reportedly instructed JD activists that they should attack anybody asking for Laloo Yadav's resignation, including Opposition leaders. Sadhu Yadav recently led an attack on the office of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Patna after its workers staged a demonstration demanding the chief minister's resignation.

Nitish Kumar, former JD leader, who is now the president of the Bihar unit of the Samata Party, said the people of the state had realised that there was some truth in the charges against the chief minister. Realising that he was on his way out, Laloo Prasad Yadav's supporters were running amok, he said.