INDIA POISED FOR SWING TO LEFT

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32073, 22 August 1969, Page 11

INDIA POISED FOR SWING TO LEFT

tN.Z.P.A.-Reuter—Copyright)

NEW DELHI, August 21.

India is today poised for a swing to the Left after a bitterlyfought contest for the Presidency had ended in victory for the Independent candidate, Mr V. V. Giri, who is 75.

Backed by the Prime Minister (Mrs Indira Gandhi) and her supporters within the Congress Party, and by Communists and Socialists, Mr Giri, a veteran trade unionist, defeated the official Congress Party candidate, Mr Sanjiva Reddy, by a margin of 14,650 votes.

With her rebellion against the party’s official choice vindicated by Mr Giri’a election, Mrs Gandhi is expected to reshuffle her Cabinet to give it a new Socialist look and to

press ahead with Socialistic policies after bank nationalisation. Mrs Gandhi may also seek changes in the leadership of the Congress Party. The party president (Mr S. Nijalingappa) and a syndicate of Rightist party leaders supported the losing candidate, In spite of her opposition to their choice. The party’s working committee is due to meet on Friday or Saturday to take stock of the situation. Mr Nijalingappa has already demanded that Mrs Gandhi must give an explanation of her opposition to the official party candidate. Mr Nijalingappa told re-

porters that the working committee would decide whether Mrs Gandhi had the right to continue as leader of the Congress Parliamentary Party in view of the defeat of the official party candidate, brought about, he said, by her call for a free vote.

He said he was still very serious about disciplinary action against Mrs Gandhi and against the Minister of Food (Mr Jagjivan Ram) and the Minister of Industries (Mr Fakhruddin AU Ahmed) for defying party orders. Asked whether he himself would resign in view of Mr Reddy’s defeat, Mr Nijalingappa said: “Why should I resign because of that?”