Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!psuvax1!rutgers!njin!paul.rutgers.edu!remus.rutgers.edu!gaddam From: gaddam@remus.rutgers.edu (Surekha Reddy Gaddam) Newsgroups: misc.news.southasia Subject: India News Message-ID: Date: 27 Apr 91 14:08:59 GMT Organization: Rutgers Univ., New Brunswick, N.J. Lines: 76 Approved: gaddam@remus.rutgers.edu NEWS (April 26) Compiled from Times of India, India West and other newsgroups. Election countdown The last date for withdrawal is April 29. Elections for LS and assembly in Punjab and Assam will be held in June. The electorate is estimated to be 517 million. Election sidelights Although Victor Banerji was indeed given a Congress ticket earlier, Former Test player Chetan Chauhan may also contest for BJP in UP. Janata Dal crisis Earlier most of the members of the erstwhile Jan Morcha quit their party positions and said that they would not contest the polls. The more prominent leaders included Arun Nehru, Arif Khan and Satyapal Malik. 9 former MLAs of UP did the same. In statements to the press, the leaders said that they were unhappy with the personality cult in the party and the way that differing opinions were being suppressed. It is understood that they were unhappy with the way VPS has taken up the Mandal recommendations as a prestige issue. Subsequently the above three leaders were expelled from the Janata Dal. At least one of them (Khan) will be contesting. The JD meanwhile has made an alliance in Haryana with a new party formed by Bansi Lal, who was recently expelled by the Congress. Terrorism and crime The two Swedish engineers kidnapped in Kashmir are still in the hands of the militants. In the meantime security forces have captured the leader of the Janbaaz militant group which is allegedly responsible for the kidnapping. while Amnesty and the UN have protested against the kidnapper's demands andsaid that the hostages should be released. In an unrelated incident, dacoits killed another Swedish engineer near Hyderabad Sind. In the same area, dacoits continue to hold two Japanese students who were kidnapped during a trip down the Indus. 7 persons were killed in a series of bomb blasts in Bombay. It is not clear who was responsible. Neighbours The US will deliver 11 F-16s to Pakistan as replacements and 60 more will be delivered by 1996, even though the US is supposedly not happy with Pakistan now. Economy Even though India is facing an unprecedented shortage of foreign exchange, the finance minister said that India will not default on its loans and interest payments. The IMF will resume talks for a further $2 billion loan r a new government is elected. They had disbursed $1.79 billion in January. Meanwhile, the official exchange rates showed the dollar crossing the 20-rupee mark for the first time. To put it differently, the rupee sank below the 5-cent mark for the first time. It is expected that by the end of the year the exchange rate will be at least Rs 23/$. It may be recalled that the corresponding figure was Rs 15 two years ago and Rs 17 one year ago. (Those of you who financed their education here with loans from India should be happy since it will be easier to repay from abroad.) Miscellanious news: Kerala has been officially declared 100% literate. Over 50 persons have been killed by tigers (real ones) in the Sunderbans lat month. Cricket West Indies won the 4th test against Australia at Bridgetown by 343 runs. They thus won the series leading 2-0 with one to go. The highlight was Ajai Banerjee ================================================================= Edited by surekha Reddy Gaddam