CHANDIGARH: Leaders of four political parties in Punjab the Congress (I), the Bharatiya Janata Party, the CPI and the CPM welcomed the delinking of Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Punjab from the rest of the country by the Chief Election Commissioner, Mr T.N.Seshan.
Mr Seshan had thereby saved Punjab from disaster, they said in a joint statement issued after a meeting here. The gruesome killing of 20 innocent persons gathered at a public meeting at Sewawala village in Faridkot district after the visit of the Chief Election Commissioner to Chandigarh; stepping up of killings elsewhere in the state and threats to candidates contesting the corporation elections proved that the prevailing situation in the state was not at all conducive to holding free and fair elections the state as yet.
The meeting urged the government to make effective use of the intervening period for curbing violence which was posing a threat to the amity and national integrity. No complacency should be shown in dealing with the anti-national elements and all other necessary steps should be taken to bring normalcy to the state.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 19, 1991
