Opposition Leaders Meet Governor
Patna: Mar. 23, 2007
 Refusing to apologize for their despicable behavior in the state Assembly on March 12, Opposition leaders in Patna on Friday met with the Governor R. S. Gavai and asked him to intervene and bring an end to the 12-day standoff.
Asking the Governor to force the government to withdraw its censure motion against the opposition leaders, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former Chief Minister of Bihar Rabri Devi said the Nitish government was fast becoming a dictatorship in which there was no room for the opposition voice. "If such autocratic attitude was not checked immediately, there will be no democracy in Bihar," Rabri Devi said.
"Censure motion is the ultimate weapon of the ruling party and must not be used so sparsely to silence the opposition voice," the former Chief Minister, who is still struggling to adjust to her new role as the leader of the opposition after enjoying the fruit of power for 15 years, told the Governor.
The Governor assured the delegate to look into the matter and try to resolve it fast.
"I will look into the report of the activities in the Assembly between March 12 and 16 and then hold a meeting with the Speaker of the House, the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister and the Parliamentary Affairs Minister. I will then hold a joint meeting with the ruling party leaders and the leaders of the opposition to put an end to this deadlock," the governor told the petitioners.
Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and Communist Party of India (CPI) leaders were part of the delegate consisting of over 70 legislators.
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