SHIMMERING discontent among the daily wage earners, poor people, transport workers, and unorganised sector workers, rural peasants and agriculture workers came to the fore as they responded in a big way at the call of CITU, AIKS, AIAWU, AIDWA, SFI, DYFI and raised the collective war cry,  ‘provide  ration instead of speeches’. The slogan reverberated all across Bihar on April 21.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on April 22

THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the communal targeting of India’s largest religious minority – the Muslims – that is increasingly taking place during the current battle against the 
Covid-19 pandemic. Nasty abuses, social media postings dutifully relayed by the trolls of the ruling party supporters is simply not acceptable. They violate basic constitutional provisions. Such crimes
must be proceeded against and punished in accordance with law.

LEFT Front and mass organisations in West Bengal, while delivering relief as much as possible to the poor and stranded people, have also raised their voice on burning questions of peoples’ life and livelihood.

THERE is an exodus of finance from the third world at present, far exceeding in scale what had occurred in 2008 after the financial crisis. Even more important than the actual outflow is the desire on the part of finance to pull out of the third world, including even the so-called “emerging markets”, and move to US dollars or dollar-denominated assets. This is resulting in a depreciation of a host of third world currencies vis-à-vis the dollar, of which the Indian rupee is an obvious example.

DURING an interview with Jonas Salk, the creator of the polio vaccine, CBS newsman Edward R Morrow asked him who owned the patent for the vaccine. “Well, the people, I would say,” said Salk, “There is no patent. Could you patent the sun?” This is what drives science and scientists like Salk, that science must be for public good and not the private profit of companies.