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Bihar governor apprises President of law-and-order situation

Even as the Lok Sabha election enters the second phase in Bihar, President K R Narayanan has had to come to grips with allegations and counter allegations regarding the electoral process in the state.

The Governor of Bihar, Justice B M Lal, who has been in the eye of a storm, apprised the President of the latest law-and-order situation in the state with particular reference to the poll process.

The meeting lasted nearly an hour.

Later, a delegation of Left parties, comprising Sitaram Yechury, E Balanandan and S Ramachandran Pillai, all CPI-M, and J Chittaranjan and D Raja of the CPI also called on the President and told him that attempts are being made to postpone the elections in north Bihar, particularly in Nalanda and Barh from where George Fernandes and Nitish Kumar are contesting.

Later, speaking to reporters, Yechury expressed concern at the manner in which Bihar's acting governor had raised, in public, serious questions regarding the electoral process in Bihar.

He said, "It is, indeed, unbecoming of an acting governor to publicly release his communications to the Union government."

Yechury said Fernandes, who failed to substantiate his earlier charge of fake ballot boxes, had now accused the state governments of Bihar and West Bengal of a criminal conspiracy to print ballot papers in excess.

His sole purpose behind these allegations seemed to be to get the elections postponed there, Yechury said.

The Marxist politician said Fernandes had strangely invoked the authority of the director of the Intelligence Bureau to justify his charge.

While questioning Fernandes's authority, Yechury wondered how the IB could supply information to contesting candidates. If Fernandes had obtained the information in his capacity as a minister, he ought to have raised it through the proper channels without decrying a premier government agency publicly, he said.

A delegation of the Congress also called on the President and apprised him that attempts were being made to demoralise high constitutional authorities when the election process was on in a bid to influence the voters.

Later, Congress spokesman Kapil Sibal told reporters that under Article 324 and 329 of the Constitution, the Election Commission is all-powerful during elections and making statements about its functioning amounts to casting aspersions on it.

UNI

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