Monday, March 7 2005 09:36 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) yesterday (Mar 6, 2005) squarely blamed Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan for pushing Bihar towards President's Rule, which the party said would be a "proxy-rule" by Congress.

"The people of Bihar had given an anti-Laloo mandate, with the BJP-Janata Dal-United (JD-U) combine led by Nitish Kumar emerging as the largest pre-poll alliance. Paswan is responsible for negating this mandate," BJP Deputy leader in Lok Sabha V K Malhotra said.

He said that it was "deplorable" that the Congress party, which won only ten seats in the State, would be "ruling Bihar by proxy" through President's Rule.

Reports coming in from Pune reveal a BJP resigned to President's rule in Bihar. BJP said that this was the only alternative left to the State Governor and it would end the "jungle raj" of RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav provided Prime Minister Manmohan Singh sends good officers to the State who can fight corruption and criminalisation.

Asked about the possibility of central rule in Bihar, BJP president L K Advani told reporters in Pune, "This is the only alternative left to the Governor of Bihar though our stand is different."

Referring to post-President's rule in the State, he said, "I would like that the Prime Minister takes personal interest in this matter. The Prime Minister has himself been a Government official and personally known the other officials."

Describing corruption and criminalisation in Bihar as two of the biggest ailments, the BJP chief said, "Such officials should be sent there as advisors who can rid the State of these two diseases."

Advani, who was in Pune last night to inaugurate the CT Scan section of a hospital run by noted playback singer Lata Mangeshkar, said, "It seems Laloo Yadav may try to have persons from his good book to continue as advisors (under President's rule) in Bihar."

"If President's rule is imposed in Bihar, then it will mean an end to the Jungle Raj of Laloo Yadav provided good administrators are appointed by the Prime Minister."