THE seventh state conference of AP Girijana Sangham, a constituent of Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch(AARM) was held on January 10-11. The conference began with a colourful rally and huge public meeting at Parvatipuram in Vizianagaram district. AARM's national convener, Jitendra Chaudhury and national president, M Babu Rao addressed the gathering. They vociferously condemned the Modi government's sinister design to further marginalise the adivasi people in the country by curtailing their rights and means of livelihoods, along with all other socially backward sections and the poor.
ECONOMIC distress continues to rise as people are now squeezed by mounting prices, especially of food items, amidst raging unemployment and stagnating wages.
INDIAN passenger carriers flying the highly troubled Airbus 320/321 neo (new engine option) family of aircraft with US major Pratt & Whitney 1100G engines have been given a reprieve by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the aviation regulator and safety monitors. This is a high-risk move by DGCA which has put the airlines’ interest before that of the safety of air passengers who will now have to fly on problem-prone Airbus 320/321neo aircraft for several months more.
THE Indian economy is in dire straits. The government has projected a growth rate of GDP of 5 per cent for 2019-20, a full 2 percentage points less than what was assumed in the budget presented in July 2019. The actual outcome may be worse, with the State Bank of India projecting a growth rate of 4.6 per cent. But the story of the Modi disaster on the economic front does not end here.
THE national conference of the All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation (AIPSO), held at Raipur in Chhattisgarh, has given a call to resist the attack on the fundamental values of the Indian constitution launched through the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), National Population Register (NPR) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). About 280 representatives from 20 states have attended the three-day meet, held between January 3 and 5.
THE Indian History Congress (IHC) met for its 80th annual session at Kannur, Kerala, on December 28-30, 2019. The Kannur University hosted the session, receiving a generous grant from the government of Kerala for the purpose. Over 1300 delegates attended the session from all parts of India.
The Communist Party of India had come out with its Draft Platform of Action, while the Meerut trial was on and before the Meerut trial accused made their General Statement. Copies of the Draft were widely circulated at the Karachi session of the Indian National Congress in March 1931. The entire text of the Draft was published in the IMPRECOR, the journal of the Comintern. Basing itself on Marxism-Leninism, this Draft linked the success of anti-imperialist struggle, with the agrarian revolution and the abolition of all social inequalities.
THE 9th conference of the AIAWU concluded successfully from January 1 to 3, 2020 at Kannur Kerala, with a call to intensify the struggle of agricultural workers on the issues of employment, land, and wage and against social oppression. Conference elected 147 members general council. A working committee was elected with 58 members. A Vijayaraghavan was elected as president and B Venkat as general secretary. The conference was attended by the 973 delegates from 14 states with 160 women delegates. INAUGURATION
MUMBAI joined the rest of the country on January 5 with vigour. From midnight on January 5 till midnight on January 6, thousands of people in Mumbai from all walks of life, irrespective of age, religion and caste, occupied the historic monument of the Gateway of India to denounce the heinous attack by RSS-BJP-ABVP masked hoodlums on JNU students and faculty members. The grievous attack on JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh and other students and teachers was condemned and the demand was made to unmask and take immediate and stringent action against the Sangh Parivar hoodlums.
WHAT do you do on an evening of dissent, especially at a time when the very essence of the Indian constitution is under grave threat? You dance, you draw, you perform and yes, you sing. For as the vibrant banners, strung at the annual SAHMAT cultural event, reminded us of Bertolt Brecht’s iconic words, “Yes, there will be singing about the dark times”.