It is a crying shame for the Indian state that one of its former army chiefs of staff should have been gunned down by terrorists. It would have been a different matter if General Vaidya was not on the hit list and/or if he had not received threatening letters recently. … Read More
While there cannot be much doubt that the formation of the Akali Dal (Badal-Tohra) as a result of the split in the parent body will provide encouragement to the extremists and terrorists in Punjab, it will be rather premature to try to assess the long-term consequences of this development. The … Read More
The clash of interests between newspaper proprietors and working journalists on the twin issues of pay-scales and working conditions as the two sides interpret their respective interests is too patent to be brushed aside in any serious and honest discussion. This conflict is reflected in the current dispute over interim … Read More
The authorities appear to have finally decided to grapple with the main source of the continuing crisis in Punjab – the murder gangs who stalk the land as if it belongs to them. The Prime Minister’s telephonic conversation with the state chief minister on Monday was the first clear indication … Read More
Both the Barnala-Balwant and Tohra-Badal factions of the Akali Dal have rejected the D.A. Desai Commission which the Union government has been wanting to appoint to identify 70,000 acres of land in Punjab which can be transferred to Haryana in lieu of Chandigarh. This has raised the possibility of the … Read More
The Union government should take advantage of the Punjab government’s rejection of the D.A. Desai commission and declare that since it is no longer possible to implement the Rajiv-Longowal accord, it stands scrapped. To be candid, we are not recommending such a course of action only because we are convinced … Read More
As had been anticipated by us more than once by inference, if not explicit statement, the Rajiv-Longowal accord has finally collapsed. This is the obvious implication of the Punjab government’s decision to reject the D.A. Desai commission which Mr. Gandhi has appointed in a bid to salvage something out of … Read More
At long last, the disputes between Escorts and Mr. Swraj Paul and between Delhi Cloth Mills (DCM) and Mr. Paul have been finally settled. The Indian entrepreneurs have agreed to buy back at an agreed price the shares Mr. Paul had acquired in the two companies in 1982 which they … Read More
On the night of June 10, the Union finance ministry issued an order banning the conversion of non-convertible debentures and of the non-convertible portion of convertible debentures into equity shares. It explained this decision in terms of its desire to prevent speculation in debentures. This was an extraordinary statement which … Read More
By virtually rejecting the Venkataramiah commission’s report on the transfer of 28,000 hectares to Haryana “in lieu of Chandigarh”, the Punjab government has put its patrons in New Delhi, especially the Prime Minister, in deep trouble. The Barnala cabinet has taken the stand that the commission has transgressed its terms … Read More
