Opinion June 13, 1982, Forty Years Ago: Antulay Loses Trust

The Congress (I) high command is likely to ask A R Antulay to relinquish the chairmanship of the Pratibha Pratishthan following the verdict of a division bench of the Bombay High Court holding him guilty of bartering cement for donations to the pratishthan. Antulay is going to Delhi. The high command may ask former high court judge, R R Bhole or state Chief Secretary P G Gaval to take over the prathisthan chairmanship till the trust is revamped. The judgment of Justicea S K Desai and B J Rele has apparently shaken the confidence of the trustees in Antulay.

Presidential Polls

A straight fight between the combined opposition and the ruling party in the presidential election on July 12 became a certainty with both sides hardening their stance on putting up their own candidates. While AICC (I) general secretary G K Moopanar made it clear that there was no question of his party going for a consensus candidate as it had a two-thirds majority, Lok Dal President Charan Singh made an urgent appeal to all opposition parties to discuss their strategy at a meeting on June 15. He sent a formal letter to this effect to the leaders of the Janata Party, BJP, Congress (J), Congress (S), CPM and CPI.

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Israel Attacks PLO

Israeli forces pounded Palestinian guerrillas entrenched around Beirut’s international airport from land, sea and air but scrupulously respected their ceasefire with the Syrian army. Israeli bombs and Palestinian anti-aircraft fire shook the paralysed city at intervals throughout the day. A Boeing-707 jetliner of Middle East Airlines went up in flames in the airport tarmac and an air freight office was damaged less than 3 km from the most advanced Israeli position in suburban Khalde.