Mrs Gandhi made it clear to the Akalis that the Centre will not accept any more demands without consulting the affected states. Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 37th Independence Day, the Prime Minister also announced a two-pronged thrust to the serious problem of unemployment. Gandhi defended her government’s record on many burning issues.
Akalis plan ‘kam roko’
After “rasta” and “rail roko”, it is “kam roko”. The Shiromani Akali Dal volunteers will paralyse the administration in the district headquarters of Punjab on August 29 as a part of the party’s next phase of agitation. Akali Dal president Harchand Singh Longowal said that the party volunteers would paralyse the working of district administration all over Punjab from 10am to 5pm on August 29.
Controversy in LS
The controversy over the resignation from his office of the Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker, G Lakshmanan, has taken a new turn with his claim that the letter he allegedly sent to the Speaker on June 25 was not signed by him fully of his volition. In the wake of the move for a no-confidence motion in the LS, he is understood to have repeatedly requested the DMK leaders to give him more time to consider.
Tamil question
The Tamil United Liberation Front leader, A Amirthalingam, who was in Delhi for talks with PM Gandhi made it clear that there was no shift in the TULF’s stand on the demand for a separate state for Tamils in Sri Lanka.
