November 12, 1979, Forty Years Ago: Charan vs RSS

Fron page of The Indian Express. (Archives)

Prime Minister Charan Singh blamed “Jana Sangh-RSS elements” for disturbing his public meetings and warned that, in retaliation, Lok Dal would not allow the Jana Sangh to hold a single election meeting anywhere in the country. For the fourth time in a row, his election meeting was sought to be disturbed in Indore through heckling by sections of the audience. He was repeatedly jeered at all the earlier three meetings also, which he addressed in Jhabua, Ratlam and Dharon on the first day of his two-day election tour of Madhya Pradesh. At all the three places, he squarely blamed Jana Sangh-RSS elements “for fomenting trouble”.

World Food Crisis

The third world is heading towards a massive food shortage that could lead to “economic disaster’’ within the next 20 years, according to a report to be presented at a UN food conference opening in Rome tomorrow. By the year 2000, nearly 250 million people would suffer from serious malnutrition “even if we make the most enormous efforts to increase food and agricultural production”, says Edouard Saouma, director-general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation in the report. If the present trends continue, the number of those suffering from malnutrition would remain at about 400 million.

Secular RSS

However, he did not name the Janata Party. Addressing a gathering at the conclusion of the three-day camp of swayamsewaks in Amritsar, Deoras defended the ideology of the Sangh and refuted the charge of communalism levelled against the RSS. Deoras said a Hindu, historically, could never be communal. “Secularism is in the blood of the Hindus,” he said.