AFTER spending 86 days in police and judicial custody as a victim of political vendetta of the BJP- IPFT government, Badal Chowdhury, CPI(M) Central Committee member and deputy leader of opposition in state legislative assembly, finally got bail on February 1. Justice Arindam Lodh of Tripura High Court granted him bail as the police failed to submit chargesheet against him even after almost three months.

CPI(M) general secretary, Sitaram Yechury, has addressed a letter to the prime minister on February 5, calling for the release of the detained persons in Kashmir, lifting of the  clampdown on communications, restoration of the democratic process and honouring of the assurances made to the people at the time of the accession of the state to the Indian Union.

CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on January 31

THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the unprecedented incident in Jamia Nagar in the capital city of Delhi, when in full view of a large contingent of police personnel, an armed man fired at students from Jamia University who were on a march to Raj Ghat, injuring a student. Subsequently it is confirmed that the criminal is associated with the Sangh Parivar.

COMMUNISTS took the initiative to form various class and mass organisations as part of their efforts to mobilise vast sections of the people for social transformation. In 1936 itself, three all India organisations – All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS), All India Students’ Federation (AISF) and Progressive Writers’ Association (PWA) were formed. Communists, along with Left and progressive sections in the Congress, played an important role in their formation.

FINANCE minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced during her second budget speech on February 1 that the government will list LIC in the stock exchange and sell part of its stake via Initial Public Offer (IPO). In justification of her proposal she said, “Listing of companies on stock exchanges disciplines a company and provides access to financial markets and unlocks its value. It also gives opportunity for retail investors to participate in the wealth so created.