agrawal@csd2.UUCP (Mukul Babu Agrawal) (02/18/85)
This came from IITNET Mukul Agrawal > > >From: kapurd%rpi.csnet@csnet-relay.ARPA >To: iitnet@ucbernie.ARPA >Subject: news bulletin, Feb. 16, 1985 >Status: RO > >I. As the days for assembly elections in 11 >states and the union territory of Pondicherry are >drawing near, there are increasing signs of >dissension within the ruling Congress(I) party. >Many legislators and ministers in different states >who were not given party nominations quit the >party and their posts in rebellion. The party >reportedly dropped 1000 assemblymen including 70 >ministers. In Bihar, 4 of the 7 ministers who >were dropped resigned their posts; 11 legislators >quit the party. They said that they were resigning >because of "favoritism and nepotism" in the >nominations. In Maharashtra, four of the 13 junior >ministers who were not given ticket, quit the Congress(I) cabinet in >protest. In Gujarat, 11 ministers were dropped >from party nominations. In Orissa, 7 ministers >were denied nomination and in Madhya Pradesh 7 >ministers were not given tickets. > >On the opposition side also, all is not well. BJP >and Janata party could not reach any agreement on >seats in Karnatka. In Gujrat also, seat >adjustment talks reportedly failed. In Andhra >however, the Telugu Desam party reached an >agreement with BJP, CPI and CPM on seats; but >talks between Telugu Desam and Janata failed. >In Maharashtra, Congress(S), BJP, Janata and >Peasants and Workers Party also reached an >agreement. > >II. Karnatka's Chief Minister and Janata party >leader Ramkrishna Hegde has called the >anti-defection bill introduced by Congress(I) and >passed unanimously by the parliament as a clever >move on the ruling party's part. Hegde said, "On >the one hand, Rajiv Gandhi is having his image of >cleanliness intact and on the other, he is >ensuring that there is no split in his party and >the members do not leave due to disappointments >and frustrations that they have set on." > >III. Two Soviet diplomats have reportedly been expelled >from India for their alleged involvement in the >espionage case which has been shaking the Indian >bureaucracy. The government of India however has >not confirmed whether two Russians were indeed >asked to leave the country. > >Polish Prime Minister Jaruzelski who >was visiting India last week promised an >investigation and appropriate action if a Polish >diplomat or a trade official as alleged in press >reports was really involved in the scandal. > >Apart from the businessman Coomar Narayan who is considered as >the "kingpin" of the espionage affair, his boss >Yogesh Manek Lal is also being questioned. Two >other businessmen involved in the scandal are >Ashok Jathika of Ludhiana and BK Aggarwal of New >Delhi who export goods to the Soviet Union and >Eastern block nations. They are suspected of >buying secrets from Narayan and his people and >passing them on to their contacts in Russia and >other eastern bloc countries. > >It was being speculated earlier in the Indian press >and now it has been also reported by Reed >Irvine of a group called Accuracy in Media that >articles in the New York Times and the Washington >Post about a highly top >secret document apparently alerted the Indian >government of a spy ring. In September, >these two newspapers had carried stories based on >leaks from a CIA testimony before the Senate >Intelligence Committee that >Indian government had developed a >contigency plan for a preemptive strike against >a nuclear reactor in Pakistan. This document was >considered top secret in Prime Minister's office. >Publication of the article made the Indian >government deduce that there must have been leak >from Prime Minister's office. After the articles >were published, there were >denials in the press by the CIA that it had any >conclusive evidence on this matter and it was >reported that CIA's >testimony was based on speculations. > >V. Film star MG Ramachandran was sworn in as the >Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for the third time >on Feb 10. MGR recently returned to India from New York after >recovering from a stroke and a kidney failure >which had made him non-functional for over 4 >months. His party in alliance with Congress(I) >received a massive mandate in the recent assembly >elections in Tamil Nadu. While MGR was being >treated in the US, there were reports of >dissension and factionalism in his party. > >Recently, MGR's right-hand film star Jayalalitha >seems to have gone out of favor; she was not even >allowed to meet MGR at the airport when he >arrived at Madras. Her party colleagues are >accusing Jaylalitha of making use of MGR's illness >and usurping power; Jaylalitha is also accusing >the party bosses of the same thing. Others have commented that >MGR's wife is using this opportunity to take >Jaylalitha to task for her alleged >high-handedness in the past. > >VI. Four people, Constable Satwant Singh, >Subinspector Balbir Singh, another government >employee Kehar Singh and Subinspector Beant Singh >who was killed, were formed charged on Feb. 11 in >the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi >on Oct. 31. > >The 20-page chargesheet accused Kehar Singh of >converting Beant Singh and Satwant Singh to >religious bigotry. It said that Kehar Singh made >them undergo a purification ceremony in OCtober >in a Sikh gurdwara in New Delhi. The charge sheet >also said that a falcon hovered near the official >residence of the Prime Minister and it was first >seen by Balbir Singh who pointed it out to >Satwant Singh and Beant Singh as the messenger of >the Sikh guru Gobind Singh. This prompted them to >plan Gandhi's assassination. > >VII. The five Sikh high priests repeated their >demand that the government should show its >sincere desire to negotiate on the Punjab >situation by releasing the Akali leaders to >create a congenial atmosphere. The Akali leaders, >including Akali Dal President Harchand Singh >Longowal and former Akali Chief Minister Parkash >Singh Badal have been detained since June when >the Indian Army attacked the Golden Temple and >other gurdwaras >allegedly to cleanse the religious places of extremists. > >High priest Kirpal Singh also suggested that the >high priests be allowed to meet the Akali >leaders. This demand was supported by the largest >English daily newspaper Tribune in Punjab which >commented that such a meeting between the high >priests and Akali leaders will bring no disaster. > >Akali Dal has also appealed to President Zail >Singh to stop the transfer of Sikhs arrested in >the army roundup for trial in Rajasthan under the >newly enacted anti-terrorist act. The appeal said >that the relatives of the accused could not >afford to travel that far. > >VIII. The United States approved $78 million worth >of commercial arms export licenses to India. >Pakistan in contrast was granted $62 million in >export licences. > >India bought arms worth .5 million dollars on >government-to-government basis, whereas Pakistan >got over 200 million dollars of arms on a >government-to-government basis. > >Sources: India Now, India Abroad, and the New York >Times. > > > >