Opinion May 15, 1977, Forty Years Ago

The Janata Party State Election Committee made a fresh offer of 104 seats out of 294 seats of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly to the CPM-led Left Front with a view to maintain “poll amity”, but this was unacceptable to the latter. D.N. Lahiri, secretary of the 12-man Janata Election Committee, told the media in Calcutta that the earlier offer was for 80 seats, but with a view to coming to an understanding, the committee made this fresh offer. Since the front had not accepted it, the responsibility of breaking the alliance talks lay with it, he added. “We are now going alone,” he said.

Meanwhile, the CPM leader, Jyoti Basu, said the Janata’s latest offer was not acceptable to the front. “The responsibility for this breakdown of the poll negotiations are not ours. I do not want to enter into any discussions over this: The people will understand who was responsible for ‘the breakdown’”. Basu said the front would be releasing the list of its candidates on May 16.

Janata’s UP crisis

Home Minister Charan Singh agreed to continue as observer for the selection of Janata Party candidates for the UP Assembly elections. This resolves the second major crisis, which had gripped the party since its birth on May 1. Charan Singh, who had resigned as observer to the biggest state of the country, took the decision to continue after consulting his supporters and colleagues in the erstwhile BLD, one of the Janata .

Bhutto wrong: US

The claims made by Pakistan Prime Minister Z.A. Bhutto of American involvement in the agitations rocking the country are “false”, said the US Secretary of State, Cyrus Vance. Addressing the media in Teheran, Vance said it was unfortunate he would not be able to meet the foreign minister of Pakistan, Aziz Ahmed, during the conference of the Central Treaty Organisation (CENTO).