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Laloo Yadav demands fresh elections in Bihar

Rashtriya Janata Dal president Laloo Prasad Yadav today said President's rule was imposed in Bihar under a "well-calculated" conspiracy to establish "RSS raj" and demanded the immediate dissolution of the state assembly and fresh elections.

Talking to reporters in Patna, Yadav said he would hold an emergency meeting of the RJD's state legislature party on Sunday, February 21, to decide the future course of action.

Party workers and leaders will march to Delhi thereafter, he added.

Yadav announced that he would stage a rally in Patna against the growing menace of communalism on March 18 and expose the 'design' of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition at the Centre behind the dismissal of the Rabri Devi government.

Yadav also demanded the removal of Governor Sunder Singh Bhandari to ensure fair administration in the state.

He warned government officials not to carry out 'illegal' orders of the state administrator, saying the RJD would ultimately return to power and review all such orders.

Asked about the Centre's reported move to appoint retired police officer Julio F Ribeiro as the governor, Yadav cautioned Delhi not to treat Bihar like Punjab or Jammu & Kashmir. Ribeiro was governor of the Punjab in the Eighties.

He said the problems confronting the state would be resolved by the people themselves.

Yadav alleged that a Union minister was "remote-controlling" the state administrator, reducing the governor to a "dummy".

He said that immediately after the imposition of President's rule, the state administration "mounted" attacks on RJD workers and politicians and began "annihilating them one by one".

Since last year's Lok Sabha election, the BJP had been "hatching a conspiracy" to dislodge the Rabri Devi government.

He claimed that democracy had been throttled and the Ranvir Sena and other disruptive forces had been emboldened by the Centre's action.

UNI

EARLIER REPORT:
Laloo Yadav threatens violence

The Bihar state page

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