Bihar Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav has sent a two-point formula to central leaders of the Janata Dal to resolve the current impasse: one, he resigns as Chief Minister and is replaced unanimously by loyalist Jagdanand Singh; and two, he continues as party president for another six months.
There is no objection whatsoever among senior party leaders to the first condition, but there is little prospect of the second condition being agreed to. Jagdanand Singh, state minister for water resources, flew into the Capital on Wednesday afternoon, and was busy confabulating with various leaders yesterday. These included Laloo Yadav detractors like Ram Vilas Paswan.
Senior leaders like I K Gujral and Madhu Dandavate have conveyed to the dissidents that they should not carry their anti-Laloo Yadav stand too far in the interest of the party. In fact, the leaders have given short shrift to the protestations of dissidents like Devendra Prasad Yadav and others, who yesterday demanded organisational elections to be completed before June 30.
On Gujrals behalf, S R Bommai and S Jaipal Reddy spoke to Laloo Yadav yesterday. Bommai later told newsmen that the two issues, of party president and chief ministership, were linked and the present crisis could be overcome if Laloo Yadav resigned from the chief ministership. About the party presidentship, he said either of the two candidates should withdraw in favour of the other and if they failed to do so central leaders should dictate to them and tell them to withdraw in favour of a third candidate.
Jagdanand Singh, who has been close to Laloo Yadav since the JP agitation, is expected to meet the chief ministers principal detractor, Sharad Yadav. But party sources said the efforts are unlikely to succeed in view of Sharad Yadavs apprehension that a further six-month tenure for Laloo Yadav could mean his marginalisation.
Meanwhile, the two observers, Madhu Dandavate and Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, are likely to approach the Supreme Court today to ask for more time to complete organisational elections.
The two met yesterday when Dandavate insisted on sticking to the present time-table (July 3 deadline). But Singh maintained that the piles of complaints with regard to the constitution of the electoral college could not be disposed off by then.
Singhs move has taken anti-Laloo Yadav leaders by surprise and they have stepped up their opposition to any delay in completing the elections beyond July 3. Sharad Yadav refused to comment on the issue, saying that since the date had been fixed by the Supreme Court, he had nothing to say on the matter. I did not fix the date for elections. Let the court decide the matter, he remarked. Sharad Yadavs supporters said they would not brook any delay on the matter. In no way organisational elections should be stretched beyond July 3, said Devendra Prasad Yadav. He issued an ultimatum to Laloo Yadav, saying that the latter must resign by June 30, and asked the Centre to dismiss him if he failed to comply with this. One Sharad Yadav supporter went to the extent of saying that Raghuvansh Prasad Singh should be replaced by a man from the judiciary to oversee the elections.
On Madhu Dandavate, there is no difference of opinion in the party. Let there be a person from judiciary as an election observer in place of Raguvansh Prasad Singh, he added.
Party general secretaries Bapu Kaldate, Wasim Ahmed and P K Samantray are meeting today to chalk out a strategy to complete organisational elections.
