Patna, January 9: Bihar came under President’s rule to-day for the third time since the 1967 general election with the President, Mr. V.V. Giri, issuing a proclamation taking over the State administration under Article 356 of the Constitution.
The State Governor, Mr. D.K. Barooah, had in his report to the President late last month recommended Central rule and dissolution of the State Assembly following the resignation of the 216-day-old Progressive Vidhayak Dal Ministry on December 27. At the time a Presidential proclamation could not be issued immediately because of a constitutional hitch and so, Mr. Barooah dissolved the Assembly under Article 174 on December 29.
A Raj Bhavan communique announcing dissolution for the State Assembly had said that the outgoing Chief Minister, Mr. Bhola Paswan Shastri, and his Deputy, Mr. Ram Jaipal Singh Yadav, had been asked to continue as a caretaker government while the resignation of the other members of the Council of Ministers were "individually" accepted.
