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Indian Express
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
July 3, 1985, Forty Years Ago: President Gromyko
The Soviet Parliament unanimously elected Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, as the country's President. Departing from the normal Kremlin practice of the party leader also holding the title of the chief of state, the 75-year-old veteran diplomat was elected to the high post by the 1,500-member Supreme Soviet . Observers feel the move will allow Party General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev to concentrate on domestic affairs . PM Assures Zia The second meeting of the Indo-Pakistan joint commission began in New Delhi after Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's assurance to President Ziaul Haq that he will do everything possible to make it a success. Kashmir Bandh Srinagar city observed total bandh, while it was partial in the other four districts of the Valley. The call for a Kashmir bandh was given by the National Conference (F) and supported by other Opposition parties as part of their struggle for 'restoration of democracy'. It was on this day last year that the Governor, Jagmohan, dismissed the Farooq Abdullah ministry after 12 of his party MLAs sided with G M Shah and the latter became Chief Minister with the support of the Congress(I) legislature party. Mukherjee Quits Pranab Mukherjee, president of the WBPCC (I), has decided to step down from his office, owning responsibility for the defeat of his party in the Calcutta corporation election. Announcing his decision at a press conference, flanked by two youth leaders, Subroto Mukherjee and Somen Mitra, Mukherjee said his decision was 'in conformity with the democratic traditions and culture of the Congress'. He reiterated that he was not succumbing to any pressures, even from New Delhi.
Indian Express
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
June 20, 1985, Forty Years Ago: $4 bn aid for India
The Aid-India consortium pledged total assistance of four billion dollars to India during the fiscal year 1985-86, which represents an increase of over five per cent in real terms. India will get 3.9 billion dollars in terms of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) as against 3.7 billion dollars last year. This is an increase of 200 million dollars or 5.5 per cent in real terms. In pledging four billion dollars, the World-Bank led consortium has maintained its assistance to India at approximately last year's level. Pak criticises India India expressed 'regret' at the statement of Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Zain Noorani, about the human rights of Indian Muslims. An official spokesperson said, 'we regret that the minister should have spoken in such terms about India's internal affairs.' Noorani had made the statement while referring to the anti-reservation agitation in Gujarat. He alleged that the state government has instigated a communal riot to divert attention from the agitation. Cong chief killed The city Congress (I) president, Neta Hakimuddin, was shot dead by unidentified assailants on the Prahlad Nagar road in Meerut. The DIG, police, Nathu Lal told PTI that the Congress (I) leader, who was riding on a rickshaw, was shot from point-blank range by some persons. The bullets hit him on the temple and he died on the spot, he said. The assailants managed to escape.
Indian Express
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
June 12 1985, Forty Years Ago: Tripura Violence
At least 10 people were injured in bomb explosions and z lathi charge during the 24-hour statewide bandh called by the Tripura Youth Congress (I) today. Around 100 youth Congress (I) supporters were arrested for picketing in front of various government offices in Agartala. Seven YC (I) supporters were injured when police resorted to a lathi charge as the demonstrators broke the southern gate of the secretariat. Hotel Blown Up Tamil militants blew up a luxury beachfront hotel on Sri Lanka's east coast, senior government sources said. The sources said the 66-room Moonlight Bay hotel in Trincomalee was shattered and three-quarters destroyed, but no casualties were reported. Indira Murder Trial Additional Sessions Judge Mahesh Chandra, trying the Indira Gandhi assassination case, ordered the framing of charges of murder against Satwant Singh and of criminal conspiracy to murder against him and the other two accused, Kehar Singh and Balbir Singh. The charges will be framed by the court on July 8, and the prosecution will lead evidence on July 9 China's Proposals China has made several proposals to improve bilateral relations with India. An external affairs ministry spokesman, however, would not confirm a report that China had offered to reopen India's consulates in Lhasa and Shanghai in exchange for reopening the Chinese consulates in Calcutta and Bombay. The proposals that China has made may not be in the context of the ongoing dialogue on the still unsettled Sino-Indian border issue. China had in 1983 permitted Indian pilgrims to visit Mount Kailash in Tibet.
Indian Express
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
June 3, 1985, Forty Years Ago: Talks On Tamil Issue
India and Sri Lanka are said to be inching towards a solution to the Tamil ethnic issue after the talks that began in New Delhi between PM Rajiv Gandhi and President J R Jayewardene. The two sides were not able to indicate what stage the talks were at, though according to them, all aspects of the problem and ways and means to find a negotiated political settlement were being discussed. Choosing A CM A large number of legislators, including ministers, urged the AICC (I) observers to entrust the choice of Maharashtra's new chief minister to the outgoing CM, Vasantdada Patil, it is reliably learnt. Legislators from Patil's group are understood to have recommended the names of two of his cabinet colleagues, Sushil Kumar Shinde and Sudhakar Naik. Indications are that the new CM will be chosen from among the elected MLAs or MLCs. Heat On Bachchan Superstar Amitabh Bachchan, who has had little time for either his constituency or Parliament since his election to the Lok Sabha last December, may soon face a movement seeking his recall for betraying voters' trust. A senior Congress (I) partyman, Sant Bux Singh, brother of Finance Minister V P Singh and a former MP, has fired the first salvo by asking Bachchan to quit politics If he does not like it. Attacks in Sri Lanka Separatists stormed a police station and blew up a bridge in eastern Sri Lanka only a day after killing at least 50 people in raids on Sinhalese villages in the same area. Guerillas sprayed gunfire and threw bombs last night as they attacked the station at Kuchchaveli, about 30 km from the east coast port of Trincomalee town, a senior government politician told reporters.
Indian Express
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
May 23, 1985, Forty Years Ago: Pak N-weapon
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi expressed serious concern about Pakistan being close to developing a nuclear weapon and said the US was not doing much to stop the programme. Addressing a press conference in Moscow, Gandhi said that recently, a Pakistani national was caught by the US customs authorities while trying to smuggle out certain triggering devices. But they let him off after levying some charges. Hijack Attempt Foiled An anonymous phone call foiled a possible hijack of an Indian Airlines flight from Kathmandu to Delhi by three suspected Sikh extremists carrying transistor bombs, officials told PTI. The plane was carrying 88 passengers, including the cine star and Congress (I) MP Sunil Dutt. The plane left after being thoroughly searched, nearly four hours behind schedule. Soviet Credit Line India is about to get a massive 1,000 million roubles (about Rs 1,100 crore) of Soviet credit to finance a package of projects in vital sectors like oil, power, and the coal industry under an agreement signed in Moscow by PM Rajiv Gandhi and Soviet Communist Party Chief Mikhail Gorbachev. A second agreement sets out basic guidelines for economic, trade, scientific and technical cooperation between the two countries over the next 15 years. Expulsion Of Tamils More than 20,000 Tamils face the prospect of expulsion from a Sri Lankan town. The Times reported that in the wake of last week's massacre at Anuradhapura, the Sri Lankan Army proposed that a whole district between Vavuniya and Anuradhapura should be cleared of Tamils. However, a Sri Lankan cabinet spokesman denied such reports.
