NEW DELHI: The Vice President S.D. Sharma, was to inaugurate the bold new Hindi news magazine, Public Asia yesterday at his residence. On seeing the contents of the magazine, however the Vice President fell into a dilemma and developed cold feet. The peaked hall at the Vice-president residence was agog with excitement for the new release. The feeling soon turned into anxiety and hopelessness when Mr. Sharma did not come out of his residence even after an hour of waiting.
When the newsmagazine’s editor, Mrs. Pratima Chaturvedi, and Congress M.P., S. Pachauri went to speak to him and request him to do the inauguration, he flatly refused, on the grounds that since the magazine carries information and articles on the “ruling Congress (I)
Party’s misdeed and political maneuyers”, it would not be possible to him to do the inauguration.
Mrs. Chaturvedi opposed his adamant stand saying that the VicePresident was and should be above any political affiliations. Inspite of repeated requests Mr. Shama did not relent and did not come out for the inauguration, according to a statement issued by Public Asia.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 30, 1989
