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Vajpayee keeps alive guessing game on Rabri Devi's fate

Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee today remained non-committal on the demands by Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and of the Samata Party, its coalition partner, for the dismissal of the Rabri Devi government in Bihar, but made it clear that the Centre will soon take a decision on all such matters.

The PM's statement assumes significance in view of Defence Minister George Fernandes and Railway Minister Nitish Kumar's announcement in Patna on Thursday that the "Bihar government can be dismissed any moment".

Vajpayee, however, evaded a reply when reporters wanted to know whether "all matters" referred to by him included AIADMK chief J Jayalalitha's demand for the dismissal of the DMK government in Tamil Nadu.

The prime minister was addressing a crowded press conference at Raj Bhavan in Lucknow before leaving for Delhi.

Asked how long ''the lease of life'' granted to his government by Jayalalita would continue, the prime minister said: ''I feel her support to the government will continue.''

Vajpayee also said the Union Cabinet will be expanded "soon", although he refused to give any time-limit for the same.

Replying to another question, Vajpayee emphatically denied that M K Bezbaruah's transfer from the Enforcement Directorate was politically motivated.

''With Bezbaruah back in his seat, the matter stands closed,'' he said, adding, ''I have asked the attorney general to inquire as to how an erroneous affidavit was filed in the court.''

He also denied the involvement of Pramod Mahajan in the Tata-Singapore Airlines case.

The prime minister said there was nothing new in United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan making a reference to Jammu and Kashmir in his report.

''This has been happening every year,'' he said, asserting: "Kashmir is a bilateral issue and India is making all out efforts to resolve it through mutual talks.''

About the reported statement of Home Minister L K Advani that terrorist bases across the Jammu and Kashmir border would not be destroyed, the prime minister said there was no change in policy in regard to the terrorists.

''Every possible effort is being made to check infiltration of terrorists from across the border and the strategy to be adopted in this regard will be in accordance with the need,'' he added.

He said India wanted peace in the region and would have discussions with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharief in New York to sort out the differences through mutual talks.

Asked whether India would sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the prime minister said: ''We have already made our stand very clear and the spirit of the CTBT has already been implemented by us by declaring that there would not be any more nuclear tests,'' he said.

Asked to comment on the stand being taken by Pakistan on the question of signing the CTBT, Vajpayee quipped, ''I do not know what is happening in Pakistan.''

In a significant development, the Congress today said there was no ground for imposing President's rule in Bihar and it was "improper" on the part of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to talk about the likelihood of central rule before a decision was taken by the President.

Party spokesman Ajit Jogi said the Congress did not feel that a situation had arisen that it was not possible to govern the state in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. "We also do not feel that there is sufficient ground for imposition of President's rule in Bihar," he said.

Article 356 of the Constitution could be imposed only when it was not possible to govern the state in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution, he said.

The Congress had taken strong exception yesterday to the pronouncements of Union ministers George Fernandes and Nitish Kumar on the issue. The Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal were allies during the previous Lok Sabha elections in the state.

UNI

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