AMRITSAR: Veteran Communst leader Satya Pal Dang, has appealed to Prime Minister V.P. Singh, that padyatra should be accompanied by some “bold political initiatives” to make the even more significant.
The CPI leader wrote a letter to the Prime Minister, which was released to the Press. It suggested that the initiative should include announcement of “more powers” to the States.
Although the Prime Minister’s padyatra had evoked a mixed reaction. While the peace loving people had welcomed the move, organisations with vested interests were inclined to take opposite view said Mr Dang.
‘Mr Dang doubted the intention of releasing some of the detained persons in Punjab as he feared that most of the released persons might join the ranks of nationalists as was done by those released earlier. The appeasement policy pursued by the government could prove to be counterproductive at this juncture as the security forces were relentlessly fighting the nationalists, he said.
Mr Dang expressed himself against the lessening of pressure on the nationalists by the security forces during the padyatra would negate the success registered by the police and paramilitary personnel. He felt it would be difficult to regain the ground once lost.
He was hopeful that the padyatra would help the National Front: government to evolve a consensus in solving the Punjab imbroglio.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 14, 1990
