The Prime Minister's statement -- his first on the issue -- is seen as a clear indication that the Centre is moving rapidly towards imposing Article 356 in Bihar.

Significantly, Vajpayee said in Raipur that a government could be dismissed irrespective of the fact whether the ruling party enjoyed a majority in the assembly or not. ``The Centre has to take action if people are suffering and there is chaos,'' he said. The government was considering the report submitted by Bihar Governor Sunder Singh Bhandari on the law and order situation and other issues in the state, he said.

The Prime Minister also insisted that hisgovernment would not misuse Article 356.

Home Minister L K Advani too repeated the same stance when he told newsmen after a 45-minute meeting with Governor Bhandari that, ``There has been pressure on the government to impose Central rule in other states as well. I have all along maintained that the government will not misuse Article 356,'' he said, adding, ``whatever the Governor has said has weight.''

Asked if the Union Cabinet would meet tomorrow to take a final decision on Bihar as President K R Narayanan is scheduled to return to the capital from his four-nation tour, Advani said, ``as yet there is no notice of a Cabinet meeting.''

In the course of their meeting, Bhandari told Advani that there was a constitutional breakdown in Bihar and the Centre should take drastic action to save the people. ``There is no semblance of administration in Bihar and people's plight is worsening day by day. Given this situation, Central intervention is required,'' Bhandari added. ``Bihar has become a well-establishedcase for President's rule and the Centre has to act quickly,'' he said. Asked if Parliament will take exception to imposition of President's rule in Bihar when the issue would come up before the two houses for ratification, Bhandari said ``if the action is justifiable, I am sure Parliament will go along". Observing that he had been sending reports regularly to the Centre for the last three to four months on the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, he said he would seek an appointment with the President on his return to India.

Since Tuesday is the only day when both the PM and President will be in Delhi (Vajpayee leaves for the US on Tuesday night), it is commonly expected that September 22 will be the D-Day.

The government is under tremendous pressure from the BJP's Bihar unit and Samata Party, which have been baying for imposition of Article 356. Samata Party leaders had said during the Lok Sabha election campaign that the Rabri Devi government would be dismissed within 72 hours if theBJP-led coalition came to power at the Centre. The Samata Party, which has two ministers at the Centre, is already under tremendous internal pressure since most of its remaining 10 MPs are insisting on ministerial posts. Its leaders hope that if the Rabri Devi government is dismissed, the prospect of coming to power in Bihar will keep the party together.