THE upsurge of the Telangana peasants shook the Nizam’s rule to its foundations. In order to re-establish control over his domains, the Nizam resorted to large-scale terror. The newly independent Indian government concluded a stand-still agreement with the Nizam and supplied his government with arms and ammunition. Armed storm-troopers, ‘razakars’, were organised and let loose on the villagers, with the government’s backing. Looting, arson, torture, murder and rape became widespread.
IS the BJP in Tripura now afraid of even blood donation camps organised by the Left? Nothing else explains the barbaric attack of the ruling party hoodlums on the blood donation camp organised by the Students’ Federation of India and the Democratic Youth Federation of India on Sunday, May 31 in Agartala itself.
PRIME Minister, Narendra Modi, has hijacked the concept of self-reliance (Atmanirbhar Bharat). He claims this is the way to revive growth and make the 21st century, India’s century. Behind such bombast lies a crude contradiction and deception. The Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan special package announced to realise this goal has exposed the reality – the aim is to make India’s economy more dependent on international finance capital and to privatise India’s natural resources to benefit foreign and Indian big business.
WORLD Environment Day 2020 comes at a unique time this year, right in the middle of perhaps the worst pandemic the world has seen in over a century. Due to lockdowns and other restrictions the world over, pollution of air and water has dropped, bird song has been heard in cities after ages, and wildlife has been making surprise appearances in urban areas. Global carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are estimated to have declined by around 17 per cent in April 2020 compared to 2019, about half of this due to reduction in surface transport.
AN online press conference was addressed by Sitaram Yechury, CPI(M) general secretary on June 3 briefing about the decisions taken by the Polit Bureau meeting held a day before. He expressed solidarity with the people who are battling the Nisarga Cyclone that has hit the coast of Maharashtra and asked both the central and state governments to ensure proper relief measures are taken.
The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) held its first meeting through video conferencing on June 2, 2020. It has issued the following statement on June 3.
In the current situation where millions have been rendered unemployed and heart rending experiences of hungry migrant workers on the roads marching back home, the PB has called for an all India protest day on June 16.
AT a recent press conference, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan made an important announcement with global political dimensions. He said that the monopoly drug manufacturers are engaged in developing vaccines, medicines and other products related to the treatment of Covid-19. These would be patented and sold in the market for prices unaffordable to ordinary people. As an alternative, an Open Source Covid Movement based on the principles of cooperation and sharing is also coming up. The chief minister announced the state’s solidarity with this movement.
IN Minneapolis, US, after an unarmed and unresisting George Floyd, a 46 year old Afro-American, was killed by a white cop after being arrested for the non-violent, alleged crime of trying to pass a fake $20 note, anti-racist protests erupted. Minneapolis cops, with a reputation for violence, responded to the initial protest with tear gas, rubber bullets and use of force. Enraged by their reaction, the protests became more determined, leading to the torching of a police station, damage to stores and other businesses, and the blockading of streets and bridges.
IN this pandemic stricken world, an observation is doing the rounds. The virus did not break the world; it was broken and the pandemic has exposed this. On a day when the total deaths due to the pathogen has overtaken the Chinese numbers, notwithstanding the prime minister’s colourful fiction inspired ‘Mann ki Baat’ in his personalised letter to the population, this would equally hold good.