Opinion September 3, 1981, Forty Years Ago: No Probe On Antulay

Finance Minister R Venkataraman informed the two houses of Parliament that he had known from a “reliable authority” that Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had not inaugurated the Indira Pratibha Pratisthan, a trust formed by A R Antulay for which crores of rupees have been collected from different sources. He rejected the Opposition demand for a high-level probe into the affairs of the trust because no improprieties have been committed by it. Venkataraman denied that the money had been used for party activities. If that happened, he assured the Opposition, the trust would lose all exemptions granted to it by the income tax department. During the discussion in both houses of Parliament the government admitted that government departments had been very efficient in disposing off applications of the trust.

Row Over Diplomat

In the first incident of its kind in Indo-American diplomatic relations, India has vetoed the appointment of a political counsellor in the American embassy and the US retaliated by refusing to accept the appointment of an Indian diplomat in Washington. The government has refused to accept the appointment of George Griffin as political counsellor after a careful evaluation of his posting in India and other parts of the subcontinent.

Curfew In Aizawl

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District authorities in Aizawl clamped an indefinite curfew on Aizawl in view of increasing tension in the Mizoram capital. Patrolling by the BSF and CRPF has been intensified. Tension has gripped the city in the past two days following clashes between the police and the Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), a student organisation, in which four students and four policemen were injured.