No incidents of violence were reported from any part of the capital, which witnessed rioting and arson in Tilak Nagar and adjoining areas in West Delhi and Hauz Qazi in the walled city. The toll in the violence rose to six with one more person succumbing to stab injuries. Tension continued to grip the capital.

Split in CPI(M)

The expelled Marxist leader, M V Raghavan, launched a new communist party “wedded to the true principles of Marxism”, leading to a split in the Kerala unit of the Marxist party. The formation of yet another communist party in the state under the banner of “Communist Marxist Party” (CMP) was announced at a state convention in Trichur.

PepsiCo’s India entry plans

Pepsi Cola, the giant Rs 10,000 crore multinational company and the main international rival in the soft drinks business to Coca Cola, is likely to enter the Indian market in the near future. A foreign collaboration agreement between Pepsico Inc, Tatas and Punjab Agro Industries, a Punjab Government corporation, is under active consideration of the Union Industry Ministry. The Punjab government has already approved the project and letters have been exchanged between the Punjab Chief Minister, Surjit Singh Barnala, and the Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi.