After placating Bhandari, Centre pleases Samata

NEW DELHI, Feb 20: The Vajpayee Government's efforts to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party-Samata Party alliance on the right track in Bihar...

NEW DELHI, Feb 20: The Vajpayee Government8217;s efforts to keep the Bharatiya Janata Party-Samata Party alliance on the right track in Bihar in the wake of the imposition of President8217;s Rule began today with the appointment of advisers to Governor Sunder Singh Bhandari.

The Home Affairs Ministry today cleared the names of Union Parliamentary Affairs Secretary S A T Rizvi and former Border Security Force Director-General Chaman Lal for being appointed as advisers to the Bihar Governor. A formal announcement to this effect is likely to be made after the return of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee from Pakistan.

The names of the two officials, it is learnt, had been recommended to the Government by the Samata Party. The two appointments are part of the BJP-led Government8217;s gameplan to give the party a say in the State8217;s administration.

Bhandari himself, it is learnt, wanted the Government to appoint two retired bureaucrats from the State, T C Ramanujam and S Patankar as his advisers.

Among the numerousreasons for the Government8217;s desire to appoint 8220;an apolitical person8221; as the Governor of Bihar in Bhandari8217;s place was the Samata Party8217;s keenness to have its own man in the Raj Bhawan. With Bhandari in office, the party knew that it would find it difficult to run the administration on the lines it desired.

The party was, therefore, eager to see Bhandari out of the State. It was reported to be lobbying for the appointment of former Union Home secretary K Padmanabhaiah as the Governor of Bihar.

Home Minister Advani8217;s reviled announcement that the Bihar Governor may be replaced in order 8220;to provide an apolitical administration in the State,8221; of course, changed all that. It created a furore in the BJP. Disgusted, Bhandari left the State Capital in a huff, vowing never to come back.

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The Government backtracked, but as a sop to the Samata Party, decided to appoint its nominees as advisers to the Bihar Governor. Some more names are likely to to be cleared soon.