The government and the Opposition could not arrive at a consensus on the question of holding elections in Punjab before the expiry of the present term of President’s Rule. While regional parties from the South and Congress (S) were in favour of early elections, all other opposition parties opposed. Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi said that the government had an open mind on the issue.
TADA in J&K
The Lok Sabha passed the Terrorists and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Amendment Bill seeking to extend the provisions of the act to Jammu and Kashmir following an assurance by Home Minister S B Chavan that it would not be misused to curb political and trade union activities as apprehended by some members. Chavan said clear guidelines had been given to state governments and Union territories when the original Bill was passed in May that it would be invoked only to curb activities spelt out by the Bill.
PM On Doordarshan
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi has asked Doordarshan to tone up its news and feature programmes and not make a deliberate attempt at any kind of image building for him and his ministers. He has also called for the development of a “distinctive professional character” by Doordarshan, making news bulletins “crisper” so that they do not sound like “press releases”. Gandhi felt that weather bulletins should be more informative and have greater scientific content with tips to farmers in layman’s language.
Champion Geet Sethi
Unseeded Geet Sethi of India rose to meteoric heights as he became the undisputed king of the World Billiards Championship at the Taj Palace Darbar Hall in New Delhi. The youngest player ever to wear the prestigious crown in his maiden appearance, Sethi silenced the great grandpa, Bob Marshall of Australia.
