FORTY YEARS AGO

TROUBLE IN JANATA

THE UP LEADERS of the Congress for Democracy (CFD) met in Lucknow and decided not to attend the meetings of the Janata Party election committee and to protest to the party president against “the internal dictatorship of one individual”. A spokesperson said the CFD and the Socialist Party felt irked about “strong arms methods” and “designs to eliminate them”. The crisis in the election committee deepened when the CFD representative, Raj Mangal Pandey, was manhandled. The panel could also not meet because the BLD group replaced three of its four nominees, which triggered a wave of resentment in some sections of the BLD.

JANATA NOW A PARTY

THE ELECTION COMMISSION has recognised the Janata Party as a national party with the reserved symbol of “haldhar within wheel”. The recognition has come of the eve of assembly elections and after the completion of merger formalities by the four constituent units of the Congress (O), Jana Sangh, Bharatiya Lok Dal and the Socialist Party.

MARUTI ACCOUNTS

THE BANK ACCOUNTS of Maruti Limited, Sanjay Gandhi’s small car project, have been frozen in an attempt to recover the money the Maruti Limited had taken from two nationalised banks. Sources said that the frozen accounts had less than Rs 25,000 while the loans advanced to the company amounted to Rs 1.5 crore. The Central Bank of India and Punjab National Bank had given to the small car project loans of Rs 75 lakh each despite objections from the Reserve Bank.

RAY AND CWC

THE FORMER CHIEF Minister of West Bengal Siddhartha Shankar Ray has declined the Congress president’s offer for membership of the working committee. Ray sent a letter to K. Brahmananda Reddy also saying he would not stand for the forthcoming Assembly elections in his state.