Lucknow, April 13: The Prime Minister, Mrs. Indira Gandhi to-day warned that India would not remain a silent spectator to the happenings in Bangla Desh and declared that China’s ‘open support’ to West Pakistan’s military regime against Bangla Desh would not affect the country’s stand on the issue. Mrs. Gandhi’s statements came at a news conference in Rae Bareli during her one-day visit to her constituency, and also at Congress (R) legislators’ meeting at Lucknow, before she left for Dhaka to-night. Mrs. Gandhi said at both places that her Government’s attitude did not depend on that of other countries and added, “we take actions independently”. Addressing the Congress (R) legislators’ meeting the Prime Minister warned that India would not like to remain a silent spectator to what was happening in Bangla Desh. Mrs. Gandhi said that although they should not interfere in the internal matters of other countries, what was happening in East Bengal could not be described as purely the internal affairs of Pakistan. Mrs. Gandhi felt that the developments in East Bengal might have their effect in other parts of the country. The people residing in East Bengal and India had blood relations and it was but natural to Indians to have their sympathies with the people of East Bengal.
