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Opinion January 21, 1985, Forty Years Ago: Jayalalitha Dismissed

This is the front page of The Indian Express published on January 21, 1985.

January 21, 2025 07:42 AM IST First published on: Jan 21, 2025 at 07:03 AM IST

The power struggle in the AIADMK took another turn with the party parliamentary board removing Jayalalitha, Rajya Sabha Member, from the post of deputy leader of the AIADMK parliamentary party. Jayalalitha has challenged the high command’s decision. Party General Secretary P U Shanmugam said that the decision was taken following a letter “received from MGR.” Jayalalitha described it as “100 per cent bogus.”

Train Blown Up

At least 34 people including 23 soldiers were killed in Sri Lanka when Tamil guerillas blew up a Colombo-bound train about 300 kilometres north of the capital. A senior government spokesman confirmed that the death toll was 34 and said it may run higher because of serious injuries sustained by other passengers.

Israel’s Exit

The Israeli army began the first stage of its withdrawal from southern Lebanon by moving support units away from the Lebanese city of Sidon. A source said that combat units will not be affected until the very last moment. The government set February 18 as the deadline for the completion of the first stage of the withdrawal in the region of Sidon and the Zahrani estuary.

Spy Scandal

Allain Bolley, deputy military, air and naval attache of the French Embassy, was asked to leave the country for his alleged involvement in the spy scandal in which about a dozen persons, including officials of the Prime Minister’s office and other sensitive ministries have been arrested by intelligence agencies. Bolley pleaded ignorance about the involvement of any French diplomat or member of the Embassy in the spy scandal.