RANCHI: Three cabinet colleagues of the Bihar chief minister Laloo Prasad Yadav and three legislators representing south Bihar Oct.23 quit office and party posts to fight for the creation of a separate stale comprising Chhotanagpur and Santhal Pargana.

Contrary to the stand of Yadav and his reported statement that “the bifurcation of the state will be possible only over my dead body” the pro-Jharkhand ministers and legislators relinquished their posts in the “larger interests of the Janata Dal in the region” at a meeting of the party leaders and activists of the region held at the zila parishad auditorium here

Those who resigned were Karam Chand Bhagai minister for tribal welfare Mangal Singh Lamay minister for health education and family planning Laxman Ram minister of state for mines Lal man of the Bihar Mineral Development Corporation (BSMDC).

Others who resigned from the state Janata Dal were Inder Singh Mamdhari MLA and vice-president of the state Janata Dal and Gautam Sagar Rana its general secretary.

They handed over their resignations to Bhagat according to Rana.

Addressing a press conference after the three-hour meeting Bhagat announced the formation of a “separate state steering struggle committee” to intensify the struggle for a separate slate comprising 16 districts of the States tribal areas.

He said that a “massive rally” would be held here on November 25 by mobilizing the masses towards the cause.

Bhagat said that the meeting also resolved to pressure the national Janata Dal leadership to decide the party’s stand on the issue by convening a working committee” shortly.

He however demanded that representation of partymen from Bihar should be a “must” whenever such a meeting would be convened by the party to chalk outa policy on the issue.

The regional Dal leaders would also meet the party president S.R Bommai during the proposed November 7 Mandal general conference in Delhi for the purpose Bhagat said.

Rana earlier said that the meeting also decided not-to go into ay confrontation with the state leadership on the matter. “We don’t want to dislodge Laloo Yadav” he said asserting that the meeting was called over an issue and not to infuse dissidence in the rank and file of the party.”

The chairman BSMDC Mahato who also attended criticized Laloo Yadav for his reported statement on bifurcation of Biharand vowed to fight for the cause till his last breath.

The meeting was chaired by Karam Chand Bhagat.

Article extracted from this publication >> November 6, 1992