JAIPUR: The new federal Indian Government has no intention of dismissing state assemblies where the Congress-I has a majority, deputy premier Devi Lal said here. Devi Lal told a press conference that the possibility of dissolving these assemblies and holding fresh elections before March could not be ruled out if there were “some special reasons” to do so. Emphasizing the Federal Government’s determination to solve the Punjab tangle, Devi Lal said his government would soon hold talks with representative of Sikh bodies and also convene an all-party meeting for this purpose in the capital, New Delhi.
The Congress-I will also be invited to this meeting, along with the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Communist Party of India, the Communist Party of India Marxist and other parties, he said.
Devi Lal said his visit to Amritsar with the Prime Minister, V.P. Singh, had evoked “tremendous response” from the Sikh community and significantly contributed towards creating the right atmosphere for an amicable settlement of the Punjab problem.
Devi Lal, however, said he stood by his promise to the electorate for the remission of loans to farmers up to a ceiling of Rs 10,000 and old age pensions.
He said a committee had already been formed under the finance ministry to go into the question of remission of such loans.
However, such schemes will have to be implemented through the state government with assistance from New Delhi, he said.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 15, 1989
