Flávio Dino of the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), was elected governor of the state of Maranhão with more than 63 per cent popular vote. Amidst the overall failure of the Brazilian State under the leadership of right-wing president Jair Bolsonaro to control the Covid pandemic, Maranhao stands as an exception. Led by the PCdoB coalition, the state earned plaudits for its efforts to control the pandemic and emerge as a beacon of hope in the entire country.
AN online meeting of the following women’s organisations – All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA), Pragatisheel Mahila Sanghatan (PMS), All India Agragami Mahila Samiti (AIAMS) and All India Mahila Sanskritik Sangathan (AIMSS) held on July 19 and 30, 2020 has decided to hold protests all over the country demanding food, work, health services and for protection of democracy.
ON July 31, 2020, over 150 activists of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), the Shramajeevi Sanghatana (a foreign-funded NGO whose leaders are close to the BJP) and other organisations from Palghar district left their own parties and organisations and joined the red flag in an enthusiastic programme that was organised at the Palghar tehsil office of the CPI(M), which is strategically located on the Mumbai-Delhi national highway. They hail from Palghar, Dahanu, Talasari, Jawhar and Vikramgad tehsils.
ON August 1, 2020, the milk farmers struggle led by the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and the Milk Producing Farmers Struggle Committee was intensified all over Maharashtra with the participation of thousands of farmers in around 50 tehsils of 20 districts. The first phase of this struggle began on July 20 in Ahmednagar and some other districts. The state dairy development minister Sunil Kedar organised an online meeting of farmer leaders and milk companies on July 21 at which the AIKS was represented, but nothing came of it.
IN a document like the New Education Policy, one must distinguish platitudes from new provisions, including within the latter even the dropping of old platitudes. Thus phrases like “education is a public good”, “6 per cent of GDP should be earmarked for education” are just platitudes, unless some concrete suggestions are advanced to realise to them.
THE Delhi Lt Governor’s recent intervention to overturn the order of the Delhi government regarding the panel of lawyers in cases related to the communal violence in Delhi raises several questions.
THE period from 1957 was one of gradually intensifying debate inside the Communist Party over fundamental ideological issues. However, the Party put aside all its ideological differences and rallied unitedly in the fight to defeat the Congress Party in the second general elections held in 1957. Though the Congress retained power at the centre and in all states, except Kerala, a massive change took place in the political landscape of the country.
THIS August 6, 80 years after the first use of the atom bomb against a section of humanity, reminds us all of the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and the threat to all human lives. But this year, we have to address two new questions. Does the dominant section of the US strategic establishment under President Trump believe that the nuclear weapons are usable and a nuclear war can be won? Is that the reason they want to abandon all the nuclear arms treaties?
THIS August 6, 80 years after the first use of the atom bomb against a section of humanity, reminds us all of the inhumanity of nuclear weapons and the threat to all human lives. But this year, we have to address two new questions. Does the dominant section of the US strategic establishment under President Trump believe that the nuclear weapons are usable and a nuclear war can be won? Is that the reason they want to abandon all the nuclear arms treaties?
THE CPI(M) Bihar state secretariat has condoled the death of Comrade Satya Narayan Singh, Bihar state secretary of CPI and former member of legislative assembly from Chatham, in Khagaria district. He passed away at the AIIMS-Patna on August 3. He was infected with Covid-19.