In Picture, Express front page forty years ago (Archive)
Repealing MISA
Janata Party President Chandra Shekhar told a PUCL meeting that all political prisoners must be released. Minister for Industry George Fernandes then called upon the people to start a systematic campaign for repeal of MISA. Fernandes said he was opposed to MISA even for black-marketers and hoarders. The object of MISA was to suppress insurgencies during war-time. It was later expanded to suppress political dissent and even Jayaprakash Narayan was not spared, he said.
Glorifying Godse
The Pune City District Congress Committee adopted a resolution which said an attempt was being made to glorify Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse. The resolution said on August 14, five or six bicycle processions were taken out in the city and their participants shouted pro-Godse slogans. Similar slogans were heard some days ago from a section of a gathering assembled in a college compound. The resolution said: “These incidents are politically significant. They provide yet another indication of the fact that the success of the Janata Party has directly led to the dangerous resurgence of the reactionary forces throughout the country.”
JP On Indira’s Future
Jayaprakash Narayan said in an interview he believes that Indira Gandhi’s political career is over. “I don’t foresee any comeback,” he is quoted as having said. “And if the Congress Party doesn’t remove her from leadership, then I don’t think the Congress also will have a chance.
Saving Tamils
The DMK appealed to Prime Minister Morarji Desai for his intervention to safeguard the Tamils in Sri Lanka. In a telegram, DMK president M. Karunanidhi said, “On behalf of the DMK, I request your personal, immediate intervention to safeguard the lives and interests of Tamilians in Sri Lanka who are subjected to untold sufferings.”
