CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, Brinda Karat has addressed a letter to Prakash Javadekar, minister for environment, forest and climate change, government of India on the ongoing petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Forest Rights Act. The full text of the letter sent on September 13, 2019 is published below.

“FEUDAL landlords exploited the people in the olden days and now the capitalist landlords and neo-rich in the rural areas are snatching the land from the poor”, speakers in the agricultural workers rally lamented at Challapalli in Krishna district on September 15. The rally was held after the 28th state conference of Andhra Pradesh Agricultural Workers Union, which was held from September 13-15.

HALIMA Khatun is a middle aged woman, who has been detained at the Kokrajhar Detention Centre in Assam for over 10 years. She has four children who live with her husband in Nagaon district. Except for her, the entire family has been declared as an “Indian” in the NRC process. Similar is the story of Arti Das who is also from Nagaon; she has been lodged in Kokrajhar Detention Centre for the last three years, while her husband is detained at the Tezpur Detention Centre. But their two children are ‘bonafide’ Indian citizens.

IN the first phase of the Pondicherry University Students’ Council elections held on August 28, SFI secured a majority of seats contesting alone for the third consecutive year. SFI, along with the SFI supported independent candidates, obtained 27 seats, thus becoming the single largest organisation in the process.

IN his Independence Day speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the government’s decision to establish the post of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), a single head for the three services - army, navy and air force. The CDS, a four star officer is expected to be senior to the three other service chiefs.