Court order will benefit Laloo

The designated court's refusal to take immediate cognisance of the CBI's chargesheet against the Bihar chief minister will benefit Laloo Prasad Yadav as it gives him time to finetune his strategy for survival.

The court order is also a blessing in disguise for the United Front government headed by I K Gujral as it is apprehensive about the law and order situation in Bihar. The fear stems from the fact that Laloo Yadav's supporters went berserk soon after the chargesheet was filed.

It for this reason that the Centre has been thinking of imposing President's rule in the state, according to Union home ministry officials. Significantly, the proposal was informally discussed by the Union Cabinet even as the Supreme Court ordered that the new Janata Dal president should be elected by July 3.

The order has thrown up new problems for the Bihar chief minister as he has not been able to convince the party delegates to vote for him. According to a senior Janata Dal leader, Laloo Yadav is bound to lose the party's presidential poll. Not only because of insufficient groundwork, but also because he has antagonised many JD and UF leaders by refusing to quit after being chargesheeted in the fodder scam.