40 years ago September 22, 1986: Barnala hits out at Badal group

In September 1986, 40 years ago, Punjab Chief Minister Surjit Singh Barnala explicitly stated that there would be no future unity talks with the Akali Dal (Badal group). During an informal conversation with reporters in New Delhi, Barnala expressed his disdain towards the Badal group, whom he referred to as "his friends," especially after they praised the killers of Sant Harchand Singh Longowal.

Barnala reminded everyone that Badal and other Akalis had participated in a congregation in Amritsar, where the assassins of Sant Longowal were honored and a gate was built in their memory.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) president, L K Advani, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) politburo members fiercely criticized Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's recent statement that the Gorkha National Front Movement in Darjeeling was not "anti-national." Advani and CPI(M) members argued that such a declaration would harm the fight against divisive forces and undermine national unity and integrity.

Regarding the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) negotiations held in Uruguay, India expressed full satisfaction. While the accord achieved at the negotiations paved the way for opening of goods sector discussions, additional negotiations in the services sector, which were agreed upon, were not to be included within the GATT framework.

A surprising and unnoticed development in the trade union landscape involved a new climate of conciliation among major national central trade unions. This includes the Congress (I)-led INTUC, which has quietly forged joint moves over the past year. These moves not only addressed normal trade union issues but also tackled several national and international problems with political undertones.