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Mulayam seeks Vajpayee government's dismissal

Sharat Pradhan in Lucknow

Former defence minister and Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav today demanded the immediate dismissal of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led government.

Mulayam Singh said his demand was based on the same grounds that the Vajpayee regime sacked the Rabri Devi government in Bihar.

"When a massacre of just 20 people in remote Jehanabad could be used to sack a chief minister then, by the same logic, the central government should be dismissed as another carnage had taken place within 24 hours of imposition of President's rule."

When a scribe reminded him that Article 356 of the Constitution did not cover the central government, he quipped, "Well, it is a question of interpretation. My understanding is that there is provision for everything and therefore, there is no reason why the Vajpayee government should not be sacked."

He blamed the Centre for adopting double standards.

"If law and order is to be made the basis of invoking Article 356, then similar action would have to be contemplated in several other states, like Jammu and Kashmir and some north eastern states where terrorism has been a permanent feature," he said. He further wondered why similar action was not ordered in Gujarat where even worse violence was witnessed recently.

He also blamed the Congress for adopting double standards in reacting to a similar situation in another state.

"What do you say about a party whose president fails to make a statement on the dismissal of the Rabri government even after 72 hours?" he remarked.

He felt that what happened in Jehanabad could not be attributed to failure of the ruling party.

"It was the result of age-old feudal practices in that state, where land reforms have not been effected after even 50 years of Independence. Bihar is once state where zamindari continues to exist even today. The massacre was the result of a fight between the haves and have-nots," he said. However, he blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party and Samata Party for "patronising" the Ranvir Sena, whose members had killed 20 people in Jehanabad.

Mulayam Singh has convened a meeting of the Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha on Thursday, February 18, to plan a nation-wide protest against the Bihar government's dismissal.

However, what Mulayam Singh seems to be eagerly looking forward to is the proposed meeting of all secular parties other than the Congress and the BJP on February 20.

"That meeting will determine the political destiny of the nation," he said, adding that he was optimistic that the Third Front would come into power.

"I aam sure the people's verdict will go in the Third Front's favour, specially since the Left Front has no more reservations about Laloo Prasad Yadav," he said, adding, that it was important to sack the Vajpayee government and hold fresh elections."

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