JOURNALIST: Mr. Ambassador, S.G.P.C. has dismissed the five head priests appointed by the Sarbat Khalsa on the instructions of the Indian government by charging that the priests have violated the sanctity of the Golden Temple.
AMBASSADOR: That’s right.
JOURNALIST: But only a day before the dismissal, the S.G.P.C. executive passed a resolution rejecting the government conditions and demanding immediate release of the priests.
AMBASSADOR: Very correct.
JOURNALIST: What inducement or threat was made to the S.G.P.C. by the government to force it to dismiss the priest? Besides, what authority S.G.P.C. has to dismiss priests appointed by the supreme Sarbat Khalsa?
AMBASSADOR: Not in national interest to disclose
JOURNALIST: Mr. Ambassador, all India Shiv Sena members staged a protest demonstration in front of the Pakistan Embassy in New Delhi.
AMBASSADOR: That’s right.
JOURNALIST: The protestors demanded that Pakistan should stop the training and arming of Sikh freedom fighters.
AMBASSADOR: Very correct.
JOURNALIST: Why didn’t these Shiv Sena activists protest against the Indian government for training and arming the Mukti Bahani of Bangladesh and Tamil Guerrillas of Sri Lanka?
AMBASSADOR: Not in national interest to disclose.
JOURNALIST: Mr. Ambassador, congress(I) has put up Sunil Shastri, late prime minister Lal Bahadur Shastri’s son, to contest against V.P. Singh.
AMBASSADOR: That’s right.
JOURNALIST: But Sunil Shastri was dismissed from the U.P. ministry by the chief minister because of “poor performance and certain charges” on July 20, 1987.
AMBASSADOR: Very correct.
JOURNALIST: What made Rajiv Gandhi select discredited Sunil Shastri over and above his Bofor’s accomplice, Amitabh Bachchan? Has it anything to do with Rajiv’s secret Swiss bank accounts?
AMBASSADOR: Not in national interest to disclose.
Article extracted from this publication >> June 10, 1988
