Sonia rejects PM's request on Bihar

NEW DELHI, March 7 (PTI) — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today made a last-ditch attempt to persuade Congress to shed its opposition to parliamentary approval of the statutory resolution on the imposition of President’s rule in Bihar but Congress President Sonia Gandhi rejected the plea.

Following the Congress rebuff and prospects of certain defeat of the resolution if tabled in the Rajya Sabha, central rule in Bihar is likely to be revoked in line with the majority view that emerged at an informal meeting of the Union Cabinet held after Vajpayee-Gandhi talks.

The Union Cabinet is formally meeting tomorrow morning to take a final decision whether to table the resolution in the Rajya Sabha and face a defeat or revoke central rule in Bihar leading to the reinstallation of the Rabri Devi government.

Highly placed sources said majority opinion at informal consultations Mr Vajpayee had with his ministerial colleagues favoured revocation of the central rule in view of lack of majority of the ruling BJP-led coalition in the Rajya Sabha.

Shortly before the informal Cabinet meeting, Mr Vajpayee held 45-minute talks with Ms Sonia Gandhi at his Race Course residence pleading with her to reconsider Congress opposition to the resolution.

Later senior Congress leader Arjun Singh, who met Ms Sonia Gandhi after her meeting with Mr Vajpayee, said in a statement that during the talks, Mr Vajpayee made a concerted effort to persuade her to review the Congress stand.

But the Congress president "expressed inability to change the stand already taken by the party", the statement said, recalling that the CWC had taken a decision to oppose the presidential proclamation in Bihar after it became clear that the centre intended to allow the RSS to take control of the state administration.

The resolution, already approved by the Lok Sabha, needs ratification by the Upper House within two months under the Constitution.

The informal Cabinet meeting was attended among others by Mr L.K. Advani, Mr George Fernandes, Mr M. Thambi Durai, Mr Yashwant Sinha, Mr P.R. Kumaramangalam, Mr M.M. Joshi and Mr Pramod Mahajan.

The AIADMK, meanwhile, is in favour of tabling in the Rajya Sabha the statutory resolution on the ratification of imposition of President’s rule in Bihar to "expose" the Congress, party’s leader in Rajya Sabha R. Margabandhu said here today.

The AIADMK leader told newspersons here that the majority of BJP’s allies wanted the resolution to be deliberated in the Upper House.

Mr Margabandhu, however, said his personal opinion was the resolution need not be brought in the Rajya Sabha as it had already been ratified by the Lok Sabha.

Former Bihar Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra on Sunday asked Congress President Sonia Gandhi to reconsider her party’s stand on the Bihar issue and support the statutory resolution in the Rajya Sabha on the imposition of President’s rule in the state.

"I have written a letter to Mrs Sonia Gandhi recently and requested her to reconsider her party’s decision to vote against the resolution in the Upper House in the interest of nine crore people of Bihar," Mr Mishra told reporters here.

By opposing President’s rule, the Congress had taken a "suicidal step" and there was a strong resentment in the rank and file of the party in the state, Mr Mishra, who floated the Bihar Jan Congress (BJC) last year, said.

"If Mrs Sonia Gandhi reverses her decision, my party will consider merging with the Congress," he said, adding this could ultimately "pave the way for the revival of the Congress in the state as Laloo Prasad’s charisma is over now."

Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) has so far passed 42 resolutions since 1995 demanding the sacking of the RJD government for its "misrule" and "atrocities against the Dalits and minorities," he recalled.

Mr Mishra said he had also written to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee suggesting the Centre should go for a judicial review in the event of the resolution getting defeated in the Rajya Sabha.