RECENT calls by the RSS leadership to remove the words socialism and secularism from the Preamble of the Indian Constitution are not just an attack on semantics – they represent a direct assault on the foundational vision of the Indian republic itself. The Constitution embodies the ideals and aspirations of India’s glorious anti-colonial freedom...
THE heart and soul of parliamentary democracy lie in the essential process of holding free and fair elections – a process that ensures a level playing field for all political parties. Owing to this feature, parliamentary democracy is often regarded as electoral democracy. It is not for nothing that the Constituent Assembly, which deliberated for two years before adopting the Constitution on January...
THE Nehru-Mahalanobis strategy which broadly underlay the entire dirigiste period is now being intensely vilified, not just by the Modi crowd, but even by neoliberal elements within the Congress and outside. As neoliberalism gets deeper into crisis and as disillusionment with it becomes more pervasive, its votaries become even more vociferous in lauding the change it effected in contrast to the dirigiste regime. Running down the dirigiste regime...
ISRAEL’s genocide in Gaza and the 12-day war between Israel and Iran saw Israel destroying all universities in Gaza and assassinating top scientists of Iran. Not a tear or word of condemnation from the US and European powers. But when in retaliation Iran struck the Weizmann Institute in Israel – by intent or by chance – the media of the West and other allies of Israel like India were all over the...
ON the 50th anniversary of the Emergency, BJP and RSS are full of righteous fervour, recalling those dark days. They are marking the day as Samvidhan Hatya Divas (Murder of Constitution Day), with Home Minister Amit Shah releasing a book recording reminiscences of how Prime Minister Modi, then a pracharak of RSS, went underground and carried out various organisational tasks. The RSS mouthpiece Organiser has a slew of articles on various aspects...
ON the 50th anniversary of the Internal Emergency imposed by Indira Gandhi on June 25, 1975, the CPI(M) in Tripura organised hall meetings and discussions across various sub-divisions to reflect on the horrors of authoritarian rule. A major programme was held at Agartala Town Hall on June 26, 2025, drawing a packed audience. It was addressed by Party senior leader Manik Sarkar, state secretary and...
THE entire state of West Bengal is reeling from two horrifying incidents, both allegedly involving the Trinamool Congress, which have thrust critical issues of violence, campus safety, political patronage, and police accountability into the spotlight. On the day of the Kaliganj by-election results (June 23), a 10-year-old girl, Tamanna Khatun, the daughter of a CPI(M) supporter, was tragically killed by a socket bomb hurled from a...
NILOTPAL Basu, Polit Bureau member of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has written to the Chief Election Commissioner expressing strong opposition to the "Special Intensive Revision" of electoral rolls currently underway in Bihar. In a letter dated June 27, Basu raised serious concerns about the methodology and timing of the revision, warning that the process may lead to large-scale disenfranchisement...
THE Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), in a statement issued on July 1, expressed deep shock and grief over the loss of workers' lives and injuries caused by the reactor blast at Sigachi Chemical Factory in Telangana and the blast at a cracker factory in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu. CITU conveyed its heartfelt condolences to the families of the...
UNDER the heavily fortified Polavaram Multi-Purpose Irrigation Project, a clandestine operation is underway, marked by widespread and unprecedented violations of labour laws. The site, transformed into a virtual fortress, is a prohibited zone for any form of trade union activity. Behind the imposing security presence and the refusal of entry to any trade union, lies a deliberate strategy to conceal the brutal exploitation of workers and to...
THE 113th International Labour Conference (ILC), held in Geneva from June 2-13, 2025, concluded with the adoption of a Convention and Recommendations on Biological Hazards, a resolution on standard-setting discussions on the platform economy, and a general discussion on promoting transitions towards formality. The Conference also adopted a landmark resolution on Palestine, upgrading its status from a liberation movement to a non-member observer, with...
