CHANDIGARH: The Centre has abandoned its proposed all party meeting on Punjab and has instead invited Simranjit Singh Mann for talks in Delhi.
The Prime Minister had announced his plan to hold an all-party meeting when he visited Punjab last week. The meeting was scheduled for Sunday, August 26, but was cancelled a day earlier. The Punjab Raj Bhavan hurriedly contacted political parties to convey to them the cancellation of the meeting.
The parties that had been invited were the different Akali groups, the Congress (I), the two Communist parties and the BJP. No reason for the cancellation has been given.
It may be recalled that the Akali Dal (Badal) as also the Akali Dal (Mann) had announced their decision not to join the all-party deliberations which the two parties thought were another futile exercise,
Now invitations have been extended by Prime Minister’s house not only to Simranjit Singh Mann but also to 10 other members of his party for discussion on the possibility of holding election to the Punjab Assembly.
Indications are that the Central Government has taken a careful note of the differences between the Dal (M) and the militant organisations headed by the Panthic Committee. Delhi appears to be keen on probing the mind of the Dal (M) leaders whether they would be agreeable to some sort of a formal or informal understanding before the election could be arranged.
In other words, what Delhi wants is an accord with the Mann group in the same was as it entered into an accord with the Akali Dal (Longowal) in 1985. Obviously, what stands in the way of the election is not the bad law and order situation but the absence of an accord.
Further developments on the issue are expected in the next few days.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 31, 1990
