And that, too, by perpetrating a fraud on the constitution. One may recall, in last September, the Vajpayee Cabinet had recommended imposition of Central rule in Bihar on the plea of deteriorating law and order. But at that time the President having studied the legal implications of the recommendation, refused to oblige the Vajpayee Government. It angered Mr. Vajpayee and his colleagues, but could not send the recommendation again to force the President to sign the proclamation under the constitutional obligation in fear of such proclamation not being ratified by two-third majority in Parliament.

On the lapse of more than five months the Vajpayee Government reiterated the previous recommendation for invoking Article 356 following an incident of murder of Dalits by Ranvir Sena at Jehanabad. So this time, the President has no choice, but to sign on the dotted line to fulfill the constitutional obligation to sign a Cabinet recommendation on Article 356 if it is returned to him.

What else is if it is not called a fraud on the constitution? A cabinet recommendation for invoking Article 356 when returned to the Cabinet for reconsideration it could reiterate such recommendation to make the President sign the proclamation under the constitutional obligation. But after lapse of five months can one imagine that the same recommendation can be reiterated because one or two killings had taken place in the meantime? Does it not betray the Central Government's premeditated game-plan to create a situation and taking advantage thereof, to force the President to sign on the proclamation which he refused to do so five months ago?

The Vajpayee Government's game-plan to dismiss RJD Government in Bihar is clear. Before coming to power while campaigning for vote Mr. Vajpayee assured the Bihar electorate that if his party returned to power, the RJD government would be dismissed within a month. After BJP-led government was installed at the Centre, its ally Samata Party, mainly a Bihar based party led by Mr. Fernandez, had been insisting on Mr. Vajpayee to fulfil his electoral promise to do so. One of the top leader of BJP was sent to Bihar as its Governor and the game-plan of toppling the duly elected RJD Government was hatched at the Raj Bhavan. But for one reason or other, it could not fructify. Samata Party legislators were thus getting aggrieved at the delay in imposing Article 356 and thereby paving the way for their assumption of power in Bihar. Some of them even were leaving the party being disgusted at the failure of the leadership. So there was urgency.

Jehnanbad killings by Ranvir Sena was only an alibi. Everybody knows the root cause of tension in Bihar villages is the failure of successive governments to introduce and implement the land reforms. Ranvir Sena was raised by the vested interests in the antiquated land system and supported by Congress and BJP. The MPs of these two parties have been stalling the passage of the agricultural labour bill in Parliament. Now they are shedding crocodile's tears for the hapless victims of Ranvir Sena.