Opinion December 7, 1983, Forty Years Ago: India on Tamil issue

The Sri Lankan President, J R Jayewardene, assured India that all stateless persons of Indian origin on the island will be given Sri Lankan citizenship. External Affairs Minister Narasimha Rao said the Sri Lankan President had accepted that it was his problem and he would solve it. Giving a brief account of India’s initiative to solve the Tamil problem in Sri Lanka, Rao expressed the hope that a solution would be found.

Bhindranwale debate

The Punjab government will take action against Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale at the appropriate time, Home Minister P C Sethi said. Replying to the Opposition’s criticism that the government was soft on Bhindranwale, Sethi said this was not true, and that eight cases had been registered against him so far. The police registered a ninth case for his alleged “inflammatory” statement against a community.

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Pak nuclear explosion

“Our defence preparedness is at its peak and we can face any challenge from any quarter,” Defence Minister R Venkataraman declared in the Rajya Sabha. The members cheered the minister when he made this statement in response to a question by Ramanand Yadav. The main question on the reported nuclear explosion in Pakistan occupied most of the question hour.

Professor of Eminence

A new class of professors is sought to be created in the universities under a controversial scheme drawn up by the University Grants Commission. They will be called by a distinguishing title — “Professors of Eminence”. The UGC has written to vice-chancellors of 100-odd universities in the country to take steps to amend university statutes and ordinances to provide for a legal status for the group.