July 17, 1981, Forty Years Ago: Rao In Moscow

Pakistan figured prominently in the two rounds of talks between External Affairs Minister P V Narasimha Rao and the Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko with both countries expressing their common concern over the arming of Pakistan by the US. The two foreign ministers shared the view that the large-scale supply of arms to Islamabad would lead to instability in South Asia. Rao declined to disclose the details of the talks over China. The Indian foreign minister confirmed that he had delivered a message from Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to his Russian counterpart. He said that the question of Mrs Gandhi’s visit to Moscow was not discussed. Gromyko said that the discussions had helped the two countries understand each other’s viewpoint on international affairs.

Pahadia’s New Role

Rajasthan may have a deputy CM for the first time. The office is very likely to go to former Chief Minister Jagannath Pahadia who had resigned from his post to pave the way for Shiv Charan Mathur. Congress (I) sources say that the party believes that though Pahadia had failed as a leader, there is no reason that he should not succeed as Deputy CM. The reasoning also stems from the party’s keenness to appease Pahadia, Rajasthan’s first CM from a SC community.

Riots Again In UK

After two days of comparative calm, violence flared in London again when the police raided a number of houses, occupied mostly by Asians. The scene of rioting was the southern London area of Brixton, inhabited by a large number of Asians. Residents accused the police of breaking open doors of their houses with pickaxe handles, crowbars and sledgehammers. They alleged the police smashed furniture and TV sets in a vain attempt to recover illegal material.