Express front page, July 21, 1980. (Express archive)

The sponsors of the Assam agitation announced a partial and conditional suspension of their 10-month-old agitation for a fortnight as a token of their willingness to resume negotiations on a solution to the foreigners’ issue. A joint statement, issued by the Assam Students Union (AASU) and the All Assam Gana Sangram Parishad (AAGSP), said the suspension of the agitation — barring the blockade on oil, jute, bamboo and plywood export — till August 3 was being announced in deference to the wishes of the government to create an atmosphere to resume discussions. They expected the government to make reciprocal announcement withdrawing repressive measures and action against government employees and release of detenus.

Reddy still CM

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister M Chenna Reddy is not being distributed for the present. This indication was available after an hour-long meeting between the chief minister and Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in Delhi. During the talks, it is learnt, Mrs Gandhi gave a patient hearing to the point of view expressed by Reddy, without indicating her opinion. Reddy is understood to have taken pains to tell Mrs Gandhi that he had never talked or worked against her leadership. In support, he quoted some of his statements in the Andhra legislature.

Deng on India

The Chinese Senior Vice-Premier Deng Xiaoping has said that the Chinese leaders have the same “serious, positive and active” attitude towards improving bilateral relations as Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, has. “I think you can pass this message to Mrs Gandhi,” he said in an interview to the editor of Delhi’s defence journal Vikrant. There have been points of difference between the two countries in the past. But these were now narrowing.