Rabri wins trust vote

PATNA, March 17 (PTI) — The reinstated Rabri Devi ministry in Bihar today secured a trust vote in the state assembly. The one-line motion moved by the Chief Minister seeking the trust of the 325- member House in her Council of Ministers was carried by 172 in favour and 85 against.

The Samata Party split on the issue with three MLAs voting in favour and one abstaining.

The 29-member Congress, which had earlier decided to abstain, finally boycotted the proceedings to maintain equidistant from the RJD and the BJP. But party sources said the change in the strategy was adopted to prevent differences within the party coming to the fore with the CLP sharply divided on the issue of supporting the Rabri government.

Twenty CPI members and another of the Samata Party (Patel) abstained. Seventeen MLAs were absent.

The votes secured by the government were eight more than than the number of supporting MLAs furnished by Ms Rabri Devi to the Governor while staking claim to form the government after revocation of President's rule.

The CPI abstained from voting, accusing the BJP of having imposed Central rule in the state with "political motives and not out of any sense of outrage over the killing of Dalits" and said the RJD government was no better as had been proved by the massacres.

Replying to a three-hour debate which saw sharp exchanges between the treasury benches and the Opposition, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ramchandra Purvey alleged that the state was brought under Central rule as "part of a political conspiracy."

"There was no constitutional breakdown or any major internal disturbances warranting President's rule. He asserted and charged the BJP-Samata combine with patronising the outlawed Ranvir Sena, a private army of landlords responsible for the recent massacres of Dalits.

Participating in the debate, Leader of the Opposition Sushil Kumar Modi accused the Rabri government of being "steeped in corruption" and having unleashed "jungle raj".

In a significant development, four of the eight MLAs of the Samata Party, including founders of the party Shivanand Tiwari and Brishen Patel, floated a party Samata (Patel) — after resigning from the primary membership of the parent organisation.

Mr Tiwari, Mr Patel and two more MLAs — Mr Lovely Anand and Ms Parvati Devi — met Speaker Deonarayan Yadav — in his chamber this morning and requested him to recognise them as Samata (Patel) group in the House.

Mr Tiwari and Mr Patel later told mediapersons that they had already resigned from the parent party and launched a new one in protest against what they termed as the "autocratic style of functioning" of Mr George Fernandes and Mr Nitish Kumar.

Stating that the Samata had lost its relevance in championing the cause of social justice, Mr Tiwari alleged "George and Nitish want to reduce the party to a mere pocket organisation."

While Ms Lovely Anand is wife of RJP Lok Sabha member from Bihar Anand Mohan, Ms Parvati Devi is wife of Mr Shakuni Chowdhary, a dissident Samata Lok Sabha member from Khagaria.

Mr Tiwari charged the Samata national president with "not giving importance or respect to leaders who played a major role in laying the foundation of the party."

Meanwhile, Samata state president Raghunath Jha described Mr Tiwari as "an opportunist" and said the split would in no way harm the party's image and base. He accused RJD president Laloo Prasad Yadav of having masterminded the split.

NEW DELHI: The central leadership of the Samata Party on Wednesday sought to downplay the vertical split in its legislature party unit in Bihar, saying it would not affect the parliamentary party.

Describing it as a "technical split", party spokesman Digvijay Singh said the breakaway group had made up its mind to leave the party long time back. "So far as the party as a whole is concerned, the Bihar development will have no impact on the organisation," he said.

Mr Shakuni Chaudhary, MP, when contacted claimed "we are fully united" and ruled out his resignation from the party, saying he would work harder for "strengthening" the organisation.

Suggesting the top leadership of the party should apply its mind in running the party, he said decisions on important issues should be taken through consensus.