Bihar CM sinks deeper into mire

PATNA, May 9: Even as Bihar Governor A R Kidwai strongly criticised Central Bureau of Investigation CBI chief Joginder Singh today for hi...

PATNA, May 9: Even as Bihar Governor A R Kidwai strongly criticised Central Bureau of Investigation CBI chief Joginder Singh today for his 8220;premature leaks8221; to the media, sources in the agency said that a senior CBI officer from Calcutta is expected here tomorrow to seek the Governor8217;s sanction to prosecute Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav and others in the fodder scam.

Incidentally, the CBI director had told reporters in Jaipur on Thursday that a formal report seeking sanction would be sent to Kidwai in a week or 10 days. Laloo is expected to be charged in all the 46 cases filed in the Rs 950 crore scam. Earlier, the Governor said he would not act in haste and would take a month or more to satisfy himself about the CBI charge-sheets. 8220;If the CBI means business, it has to satisfy me to get the go-ahead.8221; And that he wasn8217;t going to 8220;just sign on the dotted line.8221;

Expressing 8220;helplessness8221; to understand why Singh was acting in such haste while announcing his moves, Kidwai said it was like the situation where the 8220;daughter8217;s marriage is yet to be finalised and the father is already waiting for the marriage party.8221;

Kidwai suggested that he intended to seek a clarification from Singh about the 8220;mess8221; created by him. 8220;When Singh has not yet prepared the charge-sheet, why is he constantly saying that CBI will approach the Governor?8221; asked the Governor. Kidwai claimed that the director8217;s statements have put him in an awkward position.

However, he said, he would refrain from taking up the issue with the Centre. In an apparent rebuff to Laloo8217;s recent statement that the Governor isn8217;t competent to give sanction for his prosecution, Kidwai said: 8220;The Constitution grants many discretionary powers to the Governor and I am not going to be guided by any such argument.8221; He said the Governor need not even take the advice of the Council of Ministers. Kidwai said he would refer the memorandum submitted to him by the Chief Minister citing the Jayalalitha case 8212; and the issue of privy council raised by the BJP 8212; to the Attorney General before he took his own independent decision in the matter.

Meanwhile, in an unprecedented move, prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC have been clamped in Patna banning dharnas, processions and demonstrations in view of the agitations launched by various political parties demanding resignation of Laloo. The Patna district authority enforced the orders yesterday till May 30 next.Beleaguered Laloo to skip today8217;s UF meet

The United Front Steering Committee is meeting here tomorrow amidst demands from several of its constituents, including the Left parties, for resignation of Laloo Prasad Yadav over the fodder scam but a defiant Bihar Chief Minister has decided to skip the crucial meeting.

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8220;I am extremely preoccupied and therefore unable to visit Delhi,8221; the Janata Dal president said in Patna today. While preoccupation was cited for not attending the steering committee meeting, Yadav, in his recent public pronouncements, brushed aside suggestions for his resignation on moral grounds saying this was not provided for in the Constitution.