Opinion December 23, Forty Years Ago: Arrests in J&K

Members of the Rajya Sabha belonging to six opposition groups, walked out of the House after the government did not give an assurance that it would discourage repromulgation of ordinances by states. The parties involved in the walk-out were the BJP, Janata, CPI-M, Congress-S, Lok Dal and the National Conference.

Forty Years Ago, Arrests in J&K, Opposition Walkout, famous Kohinoor, Police lathi charge, violence in Kashmir Valley, indian express news

The Commerce Minister, V P Singh, and the Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Shagwat Jha Azad, appealed to the Opposition not to mislead the people

By: Editorial

December 23, 2023 07:27 AM IST First published on: Dec 23, 2023 at 06:55 AM IST

The police resorted to lathi charge and tear gassing and made large-scale arrests in different parts of the Kashmir Valley to prevent Congress (I) workers from holding protest rallies and dharnas against the “deterioration” of law and order and the “failure” of the government on the economic front. Prominent among those arrested was the leader of the Congress-I legislature party, Iftiqar Hussain Ansari.

Opposition Walkout

Members of the Rajya Sabha belonging to six opposition groups, walked out of the House after the government did not give an assurance that it would discourage repromulgation of ordinances by states. The parties involved in the walk-out were the BJP, Janata, CPI-M, Congress-S, Lok Dal and the National Conference.

Beef Tallow Import

The government turned down the demand for a judicial probe into the import of beef tallow and its alleged use in the adulteration of vanaspati and accused the Opposition of politicising the issue with an eye on elections. The Commerce Minister, V P Singh, and the Food and Civil Supplies Minister, Shagwat Jha Azad, appealed to the Opposition not to mislead the people.

Give Kohinoor Back

The famous Kohinoor, now in the British monarch’s crown, produced heat in the Lok Sabha with Opposition members demanding its return to India. Deputy Minister for Education and Culture, P K Thungon expressed the helplessness of the government. Several Opposition members, notably Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Subramaniam Swamy, Pramila Dandavate and K C Haidar, charged that the terms were “an insult to the nation”.