0 Comment(s) *
* The moderation of comments is automated and not cleared manually by indianexpress.com.
The Left Democratic Front gave a surprise to the ruling coalition by presenting Lonappan Nambadan, a member of the Kerala Congress (Mani group). The 12th ministry in Kerala, led by K Karunakaran which has been in office for 78 days, has lost its majority with one of the MLAs of the United Democratic Front announcing his decision to join the Marxist-led opposition. The Left Democratic Front gave a surprise to the ruling coalition by presenting Lonappan Nambadan, a member of the Kerala Congress (Mani group). Nambadan told newsmen that he had met the governor and informed her that he had resigned from the party and withdrawn the support to the UDF ministry. He said he had also written to the speaker about his decision.
India-Soviet bond
The Soviet Union conveyed to India that it will continue to be a reliable friend which can be depended upon for defence needs even if the security situation worsens in South Asia. This assurance is believed to have been given by the Soviet Defence Minister Marshal Dmitri Ustinov at his separate meetings with the prime minister, Indira Gandhi, and the defence minister, R Venkataraman. Marshal Ustinov met PM Gandhi for 90 minutes. No aides were present at the meeting. Neither side was willing to say what transpired at the meeting but it is believed that the Soviet defence minister conveyed to PM Gandhi a message from President Brezhnev suggesting that the Soviet Union intended to strengthen relations with India.
Judiciary on election
The chief justice and some other judges of the Constitution Bench expressed doubts about whether they could interfere in and stop the West Bengal elections in a writ petition filed by the Congress-I and some other political parties. Chief justice Y V Chandrachud observed that it would affect the functioning of democracy if courts used their powers to stop elections on complaints filed by a voter.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd