This is the front page of The Indian Express published on August 9, 1984, Forty Years Ago.
PM on Sri Lanka
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi called for restraint in responding to the Sri Lankan situation and said that “whatever we do should help (Sri Lankan Tamils) and not harm them.” Any Indian reaction “should save them and not precipitate their annihilation,” she said when replying to Rajya Sabha members who sought clarification on a government statement. The statement was made by Minister of State for External Affairs R N Mirdha.
Opposition merger
Yet another bid for the merger of Lok Dal, Janata and the Congress (S) failed with the presidents of the three parties ending their hour-long meeting without discussing the specific issue of the merger. The 82-year-old Lok Dal president Charan Singh told newsmen after meeting Janata president Chandra Shekhar and the Congress (S) president, Sharad Pawar, “These two gentlemen do not want a merger”.
Concern over riots
Members from both sides in the Lok Sabha expressed grave concern over the increasing incidence of communal riots in the country and urged the government to take prompt and stern action to contain the malaise. Participating in a six-hour special discussion, member after member said it was shameful that even after 37 years of independence the country was witnessing orgies of communal violence, which was a legacy of the colonial rulers.
A new UP PCC(I) chief
The Union Commerce Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh will take over as president of the Uttar Pradesh PCC (I) as part of the Congress (I )’s determined move to strengthen the organisation in all states before the elections. Singh was in Vienna when the Congress (I) president, Mrs Indira Gandhi, made the appointment. Singh has been told to tender his resignation from the Cabinet by an aide of the Prime Minister.
