August 19, 1984, Forty Years Ago: This is the front page of The Indian Express published on August 19, 1984, Forty Years Ago.
About 170 MLA supporters of the former chief minister, N T Rama Rao, will be paraded before President Zail Singh on August 20 to demonstrate the majority support he still enjoyed and to expose the unconstitutional manner in which his ministry was dismissed. This was decided by an all-party action committee as part of a plan to get the “puppet government” of N Bhaskara Rao dismissed and the Rama Rao ministry installed immediately.
17 Dead In AP
The death toll in police firings on irate mobs protesting against the dismissal of the N T Rama Rao ministry in several parts of Andhra Pradesh rose to 17, with four people succumbing to injuries and delayed reports of two more deaths in police firing in the Cuddappah district. This takes the number of persons killed in police firing on violent agitators to 19.
Karnataka’s Turn?
The Kranti Ranga leader, S Bangarappa’s talks with Congress (I) MPs during his current visit to the capital led to speculation in political circles on the possibility of a Kashmir and Andhra-type operation being repeated in Karnataka. Bangarappa said his current visit had no political significance. Bangarappa had a meeting with Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, some months ago when the question of the merger of the Kranti Ranga faction led by him with the Congress (I) had been discussed.
South Africa Polls
The Security Council has declared as “null and void” South Africa’s “so-called new constitution” and the elections to be held along racial lines. The 15-member Council voted overwhelmingly in favour of a resolution sponsored by the eight-member non-aligned group “strongly” rejecting both the “constitution” and the “elections”.
