This is an archive article published on January 11, 2021

Opinion Forty Years Ago, January 11, 1981: Anjaiah acts

Anjaiah himself is not happy with the size of his cabinet, the constitution of which owes a lot to the suggestions of former CM Chenna Reddy and members of Parliament from the state.

This is the front page of the Indian Express, forty years ago.

January 11, 2021 03:42 AM IST First published on: Jan 11, 2021 at 03:42 AM IST

The Andhra Chief Minister T Anjaiah has asked his entire cabinet to resign to help him reconstitute his ministry. He will consult the high command before finalising his team. This is in line with the thinking in the high command that his team is oversized and requires pruning. He has started consulting his cabinet colleagues about the process. The CM’s decision comes after an assurance from the high command that no dissident activity will be tolerated if some of the ministers are dropped in the pruning process. Anjaiah himself is not happy with the size of his cabinet, the constitution of which owes a lot to the suggestions of former CM Chenna Reddy and members of Parliament from the state.

China lauds PM

China has welcomed the statement of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi that India and Pakistan should stand together rather than get embroiled in the big power rivalry in the Indian Ocean. “It’s hard for others to guess what she meant by ‘getting embroiled’ but the necessity does exist for the subcontinental nations to stand together,” noted the Xinhua.

Airlink with Bhutan

Bhutan and India will soon be linked by air, Bhutan’s king Jigme Singye Wangchuk said. The outlines of the proposed link have been worked out, the visiting monarch said. He had formal talks with the PM and informal discussions at a dinner hosted by her.

Polish workers strike

Millions of Polish workers defied the government and stayed off work demanding a five-day, 40-hour week. Small shops, department stores and some other offices remained open in Warsaw and other cities. But in other major enterprises, including shipyards and steel-making units, the workers heeded the call by the independent union Solidarity and joined the strike. Labour Minister Janusz Obodowski warned that workers who had abstained from work will lose a day’s pay.