NDA delegation meets Kalam over Bihar, seeks PM's resignation

tags:India

New Delhi--Members of National Democratic Alliance(NDA) met President Kalam and expressed their dissatisfaction over the situation of Bihar and working of Dr. Manmohan Singh.

Accusing PM Manmohan Singh of "misleading" the nation over the Bihar Assembly dissolution, the NDA has urged President A P J Abdul Kalam to advise him to resign and to recall Governor Buta Singh.

"We told the President that you have been misled by the Union Cabinet. The Prime Minister has not been able to substantiate the grounds on which the recommendation for dissolving the Bihar Assembly was made," BJP president L K Advani told reporters after an NDA delegation met Kalam at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and submitted a memorandum with him.

"The President should advise the Prime Minister to resign since he (Singh) himself has said he does not disown the responsibility (for the Assembly dissolution)," Advani said.

The BJP president, flanked by NDA convenor George Fernandes, party leaders Jaswant Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Vijay Kumar Malhotra and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Shiromani Akali Dal MP Rattan Singh Ajnala, described the Bihar Assembly dissolution, ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, as the "worst misuse ever" of Article 356.

"This action was so wrong that even the Supreme Court had to rule it unconstitutional. Never before has there been such gross abuse of Article 356 on non-existent grounds," Advani remarked.

He accused the UPA government of having "cheated" the people of Bihar and of "forcing" a second election on them within a year.

"...the Governor of Bihar and the Union government are guilty of violation of constitutional norms. Their continuation in office is a threat to constitutionalism," an NDA memorandum to the President read.

The NDA described the Prime Minister's "horse-trading" comments on Bihar as "misleading to the whole country".

"We, therefore, urge you to recall the Governor of Bihar and advise the Prime Minister to tender his resignation owning responsibility for this fraud on the Constitution," the memorandum said.

Advani also claimed he foresaw a clear majority for the NDA in the upcoming elections in Bihar which he alleged had a "jungle raj" for the past 15 years.

He accused Buta Singh of poll-code violations, citing Election Commission observations on appointment orders for various government posts while the election code was in place in the state.

The orders of appointment, approved by the Governor on 2nd September , were issued the next day when the state election schedule was announced, according to an Election Commission reply to the BJP, which has filed a complaint regarding code violations in Bihar.

A copy of the EC reply to the BJP complaint was also enclosed with the NDAs memorandum to the President.