‘Pressure on Laloo’ was Buta concern before he asked for Central rule

These are recorded in the two ‘‘secret’’ reports of the Governor submitted to the Supreme Court today by the Centre.

Writing on May 21, the Governor said: ‘‘Reports received by me in the recent past through media and also through meeting with various political functionaries, as also intelligence reports, indicate a trend to win over elected representatives of the people.’’

He reminded the President that he had ‘‘informed (in his first report on April 27) that around 16-17 MLAs belonging to LJP were being wooed by various means so that a split could be effected in the LJP.’’

The Governor said the general secretary of LJP had resigned and ‘‘also 17-18 more (LJP MLAs) perhaps are moving towards JD-U clearly indicating that various allurements have been offered which is a very disturbing and alarming feature.’’

Buta Singh felt that any move by the breakaway faction to align with any other party to cobble up a majority and stake claim to form a government would affect the constitutional provisions and safeguards built therein. It would also ‘‘distort the verdict of the people as shown by the results of the recent elections’’, he said. ‘‘If these attempts are allowed it would amount to tampering with constitutional provisions.’’

‘‘Hence, in my view, a situation has arisen in the state wherein it would be desirable in the interest of the state that the Assembly presently kept in suspended animation is dissolved’’ so as to give its voters another opportunity to exercise their mandate, he said. The April 27 report also stated that JD(U) felt that even if the LJP did not split, it could still form the government with the support of ‘‘Independent, NCP, BSP and SP MLAs and two-third of Cong MLAs .’’