Jayalalitha appointment gives Rabri, Laloo hope

By K. Balchand

PATNA, MAY 15. The appointment of Ms. Jayalalitha as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, despite her being convicted in a court of law, is set to have an impact in Bihar, where the Rabri Devi Government recently braved a series of attacks.

The expelled RJD MPs and Opposition parties had centered their campaign to pull down the Government on two grounds.

One, the `oust-CM' chant was stepped up in the hope of certain imprisonment of the RJD president, Mr. Laloo Prasad Yadav, at Ranchi, in connection with a fresh conspiracy angle case of the fodder scam.

Secondly, the detractors argued that there was little that Mr. Yadav could do but change the leadership once the designated court delivered an adverse ruling in the Disproportionate Assets case against the couple.

But these expectations were dashed by a series of developments, despite the fact that the CBI-designated court at Ranchi did take cognisance of the chargesheet filed by the investigation agency and issued non-bailable arrest warrants against, inter alia, Mr. Yadav.

However, the Supreme Court stayed the execution of the arrest warrant during the two-month summer vacation, consequent to which the court at Ranchi admitted for consideration the CBI's plea for issue of summons to Mr. Yadav and others.

By another ruling, the apex court also barred the CBI-designated court at Patna from pronouncing its verdict in the DA case for at least three months after completion of the trial.

Besides these rulings, the Bihar Government hastily filled the vacancies in the Special CBI court, Patna, for the trial in the DA case to resume; the motive behind the move apparently being to curtail his incarceration at Ranchi, required as his presence would be in Patna during the trial.

Even as these developments dampened the spirit of disgruntled elements within and outside the RJD, nothing could have been more soothing to them than the swearing-in of Ms. Jayalalitha as it clears the decks for Ms. Rabri Devi to continue in the saddle in the eventuality of the designated court finding her guilty.

Though the Jayalalitha precedence could come in handy for him, Mr. Yadav is unlikely to disturb the present arrangement, realising as he does that he has to face fresh chargesheets.

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Section  : National
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