Journalist: Mr. Ambassador, it has been reported by the press that Rajiv Gandhi is under tight security and wears a bulletproof vest in public.
Ambassador: That’s right.
Journalist: It has also been reported that he is scheduled to visit a sparsely populated place near Amritsar to address an election rally constituting mainly the army and paramilitary troops in civilian clothes from a bulletproof podium.
Ambassador: Very correct.
Journalist: Does it mean that Rajiv is afraid of exposing himself to the public and is visiting Punjab just to avoid the criticism that he had entered into an arrangement with the Akalis to rule Punjab
through them?
Ambassador: Not in national interest to disclose.
+ + +
Journalist: Mr. Ambassador, Akali leader Balwant Singh has claimed that his party would win 85 out of 115 seats in the forthcoming elections.
Ambassador: That’s right.
Journalist: In 1977 elections when there raged a tempestuous wind in favor of Akalis they had succeeded in winning a maximum of 62 seats.
Ambassador: Very correct.
Journalist: How is it that Balwant Singh is hoping to win 85 seats now when majority of the Sikhs have boycotted the election? Don’t you think he is depending upon the promised congress (I) support to win 85 seats?
Ambassador: Not in national interest to disclose.
+ + +
Journalist: Mr. Ambassador, government has started arresting persons concerned with the writing and publication of Public enquiry reports of the Anti-Sikh riots in November 1984.
Ambassador: That’s right.
Journalist: Government claims that the indictment of certain individuals in these reports has resulted in the assassination of Lalit Maken and Arjan Dass.
Ambassador: Very correct.
Journalist: How is it that the government neither took action against the indicted persons nor challenged the findings of the enquiry reports? Does it mean that process of arrests has been initiated at the express instance of the remaining guilty persons H.K.L. Bhagat, D.D. Shastri, Jagdish Tytler etc.?
Ambassador: Not in national interest to disclose.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 20, 1985
