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Bihar assembly demands governor's recall

Amid noisy scenes, the Bihar assembly today adopted a resolution appealing to President K R Narayanan to recall Governor Sunder Singh Bhandari.

In another resolution, the House condemned the Centre for recommending to the President the dismissal of the Rabri Devi government and imposition of central rule, keeping the state assembly in suspended animation.

The resolutions, moved by Furkan Ansari of the Congress, were adopted by the house. The assembly was abruptly adjourned for 20 minutes thereafter.

Moving the resolutions, Ansari said the governor had "committed constitutional impropriety" by recommending the invocation of Article 356 when both Houses of the state legislature were in session and the Rashtriya Janata Dal government had proved its majority.

Accusing the governor of partisanship, he urged the President to recall him immediately and uphold the Constitution and parliamentary democracy.

Ansari charged the Centre with acting in an "undemocratic and unconstitutional" manner by recommending suspension of the state legislature when it was in session at the President's behest to discuss the Bihar Reorganisation Bill, 1998.

This led to a furore. Members of the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Janata Dal, and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha factions stormed into the well of the House shouting slogans against the speaker and the state government. They also staged a dharna (sit-in protest).

In retaliation, RJD members also rushed to the well shouting slogans.

The speaker, finding it difficult to restore order, adjourned the house for 20 minutes.

UNI

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