The front page of The Indian Express on October 24, 1978.

The Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty is likely to be initialled under strong pressure from the US. Israel has accepted in the preamble that progress must be made towards a settlement on the West Bank so that Egypt can claim indirect linkage while the Israeli government can satisfy its hawks that there is no linkage because the preamble is not binding. Egypt for its part has dropped its demand for a review of the treaty after five years. Cairo said that President Anwar Sadat has asked for several clarifications. The Israelis too will do likewise. However, like an unwilling bride and a reluctant groom, both may be relied upon to tie the knot under the watchful eyes of President Carter.

Anti-Indira campaign

The Association of Indian Writers called upon the voters of the Chikmagalur constituency to resist “dictatorial and fascist forces raising their heads again in the country”. “Mrs Indira Gandhi ruled the country like a dictator with the help of a caucus. She subverted the democratic institutions, tried to destroy the Constitution and imposed all sorts of restrictions on the freedom of expression. In the light of these facts, we feel that her re-emergence, in the power politics of the country is certainly going to pose a grave danger to democratic values,” the association noted in a resolution.

Janata to Congress

Janata President Chandra Shekhar has written to Swaran Singh seeking the Congress party’s support for the fight against Indira Gandhi in Chikmagalur. Chandra Shekhar’s letter said the Congress should support the Janata’s fight against authoritarian trends represented by Mrs Gandhi. In the Congress, the pro-Indira group had taken shelter behind the stand that in the absence of a formal approach from the Janata, the Congress had no business to discuss a joint front. The letter is apparently aimed at strengthening the hands of the pro-Janata elements in the Congress.