'1979: Key Events

• The Janata Party splits (e. g. because of the Jan Sangh’s affiliations to the RSS), Morarji Desai resigns and Charan Singh becomes a caretaker prime minister as elections are announced.

• The Akali Dal General House defines the Anandpur Sahib Resolution, demanding that Chandigarh becomes the capital of Punjab and that the Supreme Court adjudicate disputes over the distribution of river water.

• The Congress (I) supports Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale for the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee elections.

• The film industry forms the National Party with a predominantly pro-industry, right- wing manifesto, denying that it is a version of the former Swatantra Party. This is the only occasion when the film industry attempted to start a political Party of its own, although several movie stars participated in parliamentary politics.

• Mass rallies in Assam, led by the AASU, on the issue of illegal immigrants, also generate anti-Muslim and regionalist anti-Bengali sentiment.

• The second satellite, Bhaskara-1, also built in India by ISRO, is launched from Bear’s Lake, USSR. However, the first Satellite Launching Vehicle (SLV) at Sriharikota fails with a payload of 40kg.

• Malayalam film production reaches 123 (54 in 1975), exceeding the Hindi cinema, partly because of the Kerala government’s Chitranjali Film Studio and other subsidies, but mostly because of the influx of ‘Gulf money’ remitted by Malayalam workers in the Middle East.

• Shankarabharanam is a major Telugu musical hit.