Patna, Mar 05: Janata Dal (U) President and Defence Minister George Fernandes said President's Rule would be imposed in Bihar in order to ''accelerate the pace of development and bring the state back on rails'' if the NDA returned to power at the Centre in May. Addressing a rally organised by the party to celebrate induction of over 3,300 NCP activists, Fernandes put in the priority list of the new government at the Centre the task of imposition of President's Rule in Bihar keeping in view the state's alleged failure to curb criminal activities and exploit opportunities for overall development despite all possible assistance from the Centre. Mr Fernandes and some other JD(U) leaders, who were addressing the rally organised to celebrate induction of the NCP activists led by former Chief Minister Jagannath Mishra into the JD(U), held RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav solely responsible for backwardness of the state. The coming Lok Sabha polls would mark the beginning of a mass struggle for change which would culminate in installation of a new state government sensitive to people's aspirations, the leaders said.

Without naming Mr Yadav, Railway Minister Nitish Kumar alleged that the person holding the reign of power for the last 14 years was out to disintegrate the country on the basis of castes to reap political benefit, while the NDA constituents were striving for building a ''classless society'' taking into its fold people from all castes and communities. Bureau Report