Opinion Forty Years Ago, March 10, 1980: The RSS connect

Deshmukh said, “we are proud of our association with the RSS”.

The Janata Party general secretary, Nanaji Deshmukh, said the former Jana Sangh members in the Janata Party would not sever their connection with the RSS. Talking to newsmen in Nagpur, Deshmukh said, “we are proud of our association with the RSS which ingrained in us the spirit of selfless service and patriotism”. Denying that the Jana Sangh group was going back on the August 1979 formula — according to which office-bearers of the Janata Party, including MPs and MLAs, would not participate in the daily activities of the RSS — he said if the Pratinidhi Sabha of the RSS imposed such a ban, they would accept.

New PDS

Prime Minister Indira Gandhi promised the nation a new public distribution system for essential commodities and reiterated her commitment to the 20-point programme. Addressing public meetings during a whirlwind tour of the adivasi and tribal areas of Gujarat, Mrs Gandhi said that essential consumer items had become scarce. The public distribution system had broken down under the Janata rule and it would take some time for the government to remedy the situation. She said her government was determined to end the hoarding of essential commodities. She sought the cooperation of the people to implement the 20-point programme.

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US Embassy Crisis

Militants holding the US Embasy in Teheran said that they are not ready to handover their American captives to the Iranian foreign ministry, and the timing of such a transfer will be announced later. “Conditions have changed and the hostages will be handed over to the Revolutionary Council at another time,” said a statement issued by the militants. The announcement contradicted the one they issued only a few hours earlier. It did not elaborate on the purported change of conditions, but it indicated that the militants are prepared to defy the ruling Revolutionary Council, at least for the moment.