Monday, May 9 2005 11:45 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Patna: Faced with loads of expectations of their voters and going without pay and perks for the last two months under the President's rule in Bihar, the newly-elected MLAs find themselves like fish without water.

As the President's rule completed second month without any sign of ending, their anxiety seems to be increasing with each passing day, particularly with the Assembly being kept under suspended animation, Article 195 of the Constitution relating to salary and allowances of the legislators has also been suspended.

"The suspension of Article 195 is erroneous and is adversely affecting the MLAs in discharge of their duties as elected representatives due to financial constraints resulting from it," Speaker of the outgoing Assembly and seven-time Congress MLA from Kahalgaon Sadanand Singh said.

Rameshwar Prasad of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who had filed a writ in the Supreme Court seeking restoration of legislators' pay and perks, said, "It is unjust. While Article 195 was not suspended when Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra were brought under the President's rule, why has it been done in Bihar?" he asked.

The Apex Court had dismissed Prasad's writ and advised that the Patna High Court should be approached on the matter.

Losing no time, former Minister and Congress MLA from Barbigha, Ashok Chaudhary filed a petition in the High Court, which is in the process of hearing.

While 138 MLAs of the 243-member Bihar Assembly who were not members of the last Assembly have not been allotted residential quarters many of those re-elected are also being asked to vacate Government quarters, says Chaudhary.

"Despite being genuine public representatives, even many of those who have been re-elected are not only being forced out of the Government quarters but are having to pay for security from their own pockets," says Rameshwar Prasad of BJP.

"It's a horrible situation," Kishore Kumar Munna, independent, who defeated former Minister and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Ashok Kumar Singh from Sonebarsa seat in Saharsa district, said.

"It is getting increasingly difficult to face the people of the constituency who have a long wish list ready for me. I cannot sanction a single project from my local area development fund," he added.

The MLAs have another reason to complaint. The usually bureaucrats are also caring little for the political masters under the President's rule.

"Whenever I telephone a district magistrate or SP, the telephone attendant, after ascertaining my identity says, 'Saheb is busy' in some meeting," Ashok Ram (Congress), who was Minister in the Rabri Devi Cabinet, said.

"Many new MLAs who are not familiar faces have to disclose their identity to the security people to enter some Government offices and it is their prerogative whether to allow us in or not," frets Ashok Chaudhary.

Even the high-profile RJD leaders who had been throwing their weight around during the party's 15-year rule are also at the receiving end of the bureaucracy.

Siwan District Magistrate C K Anil and Superintendent of Police Ratn Sanjay's intensive drive against RJD MP Mohammad Shahabuddin and also the DM's externment order against Shivananad Tiwari forced the party workers to hit the streets.

Sadhu Yadav, powerful RJD MP and brother-in-law of RJD supremo Laloo Prasad, who had been earlier prohibited from entering his native Gopalganj district, came in the firing line of Gopalganj DM K K Pathak, who recently got demolished an illegal construction at his house in Gopalganj on the Government land.

Notwithstanding Lok Janashakti Party (LJP) president Ram Vilas Paswan praising the President's rule, his party MLAs are also not a happy lot.

LJP MLAs Munna Shukla, Anil Kumar, Abhay Singh and Pappu Yadav lamented the plight (no pay and perks) of the MLAs.

"Bahut kathinai hain. MLA log dar dar bhatak rahe hain," (there are a lots of difficulties. The MLAs have to run from pillar to post to get even a small work done), Munna Shukla, LJP MLA from Lalganj in Vaishali district, said.

His party colleague and MLA from Konch in Gaya district Anil Kumar was more forthcoming. "In the absence of any checks, the bureaucracy has gone out of control and even a lower rank official does not give a damn to the elected representatives," he said favouring an end to the President's rule.