CPI(M) general secretary Harkishan Singh Surjeet told reporters that the BJP-led government ``cannot muster enough courage now to reiterate its demand for dismissal of the Bihar Government. They (BJP) know that their allies are not with them on this and they can't get this decision approved in Parliament.''

Surjeet said following a long-drawn national debate, a broad consensus had emerged that only in cases where the unity of the country was threatened could such a provision be ``sparingly used.''

The Supreme Court had justified the dismissal of the Uttar Pradesh Government following demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya as it was a fit case of unity and integrity being threatened, he said.

To a question on the left parties' demand for dismissal of theKalyan Singh Government after BSP withdrew support, he said ``the demand was raised as the state government had lost its majority and there was every possibility of horse-trading then which was proved correct later.''

Meanwhile, in an article in the forthcoming issue of ``People's Democracy'', Surjeet said the Bihar case was ``an eye-opener'' which exposed BJP's ``designs to misuse power to further its nefarious communal-authoritarian agenda.''

``Without imposing an authoritarian structure of governance upon the country, the BJP cannot really hope to establish here the theocratic state it so much cherishes'', he said.

Meanwhile, former prime minister H D Deve Gowda and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi have also dismissed Home Minister L K Advani's proposal for initiating a fresh debate on Article 356, saying it would be `futile' since the stance of all political parties was already known.

``While the BJP thinks Article 356 was redundant if it could not be imposed on Bihar, Congress wants toretain the cause. If these are the bottom lines, then where is the need for debating the issue,'' Gowda told reporters here.

Gowda, who was on his maiden visit to the city, said he could not morally join the debate since his government had used the Article 356 earlier to dismiss the Suresh Mehta Government in Gujarat.

Asked if the statements by senior BJP ministers defending the recommendation for dismissal of the Bihar Government even after President K R Narayanan's rejection would lead to confrontation between the Rashtrapati Bhawan and the government, he said this would be determined by the stance adopted by Prime Minister Vajpayee on his return to the country tomorrow.

He refused to comment on the differences within the party high command over the issue, but said the JD political affairs committee had decided to take into confidence the party state unit, which had demanded dismissal of the Rabri Devi Government, before reaching any final decision.

Echoing the same view, Tamil Nadu Chief Ministersaid in Tiruchirappalli that no further discussion was necessary on Article 356.

`However, a discussion cannot be avoided in extraordinary circumstances', that is if the circumstances involved anti-national activities, he told reporters here.

The DMK leader reiterated his party's stand that more rights should be given to state governments with a cohesive rule at the Centre. This aspect was also repeatedly emphasised at the Inter-State Council and National Development Council meetings held during the United Front Government rule.

The Chief Minister, giving statistics, said the crime rate was higher in Uttar Pradesh than Bihar. In fact, the crime rate was much higher in BJP-managed Delhi, he remarked.