CHANDIGARH: The Prime Minister, Mr Chandra Shekhar, on Sunday hinted at a mid-term poll in Punjab along with the rest of the country.

Addressing members of the Chandigarh Press Club here, he said there was continuous improvement in the situation in the state and the elections could be held but he had to consult the Election Commission and also to take precautions.

He, however, said that the holding of elections would depend on the situation during the coming few weeks. The Punjab government too was keen to hold elections. “But there are people who believe that violence is on the rise. They oppose elections because they have apprehensions that the poll will not be fair.

Later elaborating, the Prime Minister said the situation in Punjab had definitely improved. No big incidents of violence had been reported from Ludhiana, Jalandhar, and Amritsar. The residents now freely venture out in the evenings. There was a change also in the mood of the people who wanted reconciliation. For the first time the militants had expressed their willingness for a dialogue.

The Prime Minister said that there would be some problems in holding the elections along with the entire country. He was not sure whether those opposed to the elections would participate in these or not and the government would not like the situation to go out of its hands in the state.

Asked whether the Assembly elections in Punjab would be held with those to Lok Sabha, he said the government had received various suggestions and one of them was to delink them.

When a reporter asked whether it was a fact that certain government agencies were also indulging in killings, the Prime Minister said the duty of his government was to save the lives of the people, and not to kill them.

In replying to a question, Mr Shekhar said that two or three groups, who claimed to be militants, had entered into a dialouge with the government. When Mr Simranjit Singh Mann had met the Prime Minister and had suggested that the militants should be involved

Article extracted from this publication >> April 5, 1991