There must be a lot of muddle-headedness in high places in New Delhi if Mr. Rajiv Gandhi, and possibly Mrs. Gandhi herself, sincerely believe that a day’s visit by him to Chandigarh can help remove the fear psychosis that grips Congressmen in Punjab. It will do nothing of the kind. … Read More
It is tempting to dismiss the forthcoming visit of the US Vice President, Mr. Bush, to New Delhi as a consolation prize in view of President Reagan’s trip to China. But it will be patently wrong to do so. We are not in competition with the Chinese for the friendship … Read More
While the Akali extremists continue to kill, burn and loot at will in Punjab, three significant developments have taken place. First, the intra-Akali conflict has sharpened to a point where the supporters of one faction are murdering those of the other within and around the Golden Temple complex and special … Read More
Despite the crackdown in Punjab on Monday, two headlines in that day’s issue of this newspaper – “37 rail stations set on fire in Punjab” and “Adik rules out resignation – and similar ones in the same day’s issue of other contemporaries sum up the political scene in the country … Read More
It is possible to sympathise with the so-called National Democratic Alliance. Its constituents – the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Lok Dal – face not one but two cruel dilemmas. First their leaders have not been in agreement on how to respond to the Akali challenge in Punjab. While Chaudhri … Read More
Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister, Mr. Ramrao Adik, has disgraced himself and the country abroad as perhaps no other well-known Indian has ever before. He is the VIP whose atrocious behaviour with two hostesses of Air India on the flight from Bombay to Frankfurt and subsequently with others, including a driver … Read More
There is widespread relief that the Union government has acceded to the Akali demand for amending Article 25 of the Constitution and thereby prevented the continuation and intensification of the Akali agitation on this issue. The president of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee, has spoken against the … Read More
