LUCKNOW: Prime Minister, Vishwanath Pratap Singh stressed the need for wide ranging electoral reforms to curb money power in polls and reiterated his government’s decision to grant autonomy to the state-owned electronic media, PTI reports
‘Addressing public meetings in and Fatehpur in Uttar Pradesh, Singh ‘blamed the opposition Congress (I) for the present turmoil in the states of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.
‘The premier said his Govt was trying its best to solve the problems of the two states, and added that a meeting has been called on January 9 to discuss, at national level, the need for bringing about fundamental changes in the electoral laws.
The meeting, he said, will discuss the issue of government taking up candidate’s expenses and the means to check money power.
The prime minister also declared that he would not use government air-planes, helicopters and other official machinery for poll campaign and said he expected the state chief ministers and ministers of opposition ruled states to follow suit.
Earlier talking to newsmen during a brief stopover at Kanpur, Singh said the government would put pressure on Bofors to reveal the names of those who had received kickbacks in the gun deal.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 12, 1990
