ONE of the cardinal principles of a vibrant, organic democracy is the manner in which elections are held. What is important in this connection is transparency, impartiality and accountability of the body administering elections. Whatever be the aberrations or peculiarities of the TN Sheshan (former CEC) period, the impartial authority that the ECI should possess was made public during those days. Ever since Gyanesh Kumar took over, just the opposite has been the case. Gyanesh Kumar...
WITHIN a globally capitalist setting, for a country or even a region of the Global South, to be mineral-rich can be a source of great hardship for its people. It is ironic that the global North which is the home base of capitalism has been historically mineral-poor. This is as true of the pioneering country of industrial capitalism, Britain, as it is of Japan, the sole Asian member of the global North. A powerful motive for imperialism in fact has been the quest for...
For centuries, scientists viewed the brain as one unified organ. A new Stanford Medicine study published in Nature Neuroscience on 18 September by lead authors Rayyan Jokhai and Carolyn Dundes overturns that idea. It shows that what we call the brain is really two ancient nervous systems joined together. The front part, which includes the forebrain and midbrain, comes from one type of starter cell. The back part, the hindbrain, comes from an entirely different starter...
THE reported custodial death of Sai Krishna in Vijayawada has barely faded from public memory, yet another death of a youth has raised fresh questions over the treatment of Dalits and other marginalised communities in Andhra Pradesh. Cheekati Gopi, a Dalit youth from Guntur district, was reportedly taken into police custody in connection with a theft case and later found dead. The back-to-back...
THE Tripura State Election Commission admitted to booth capturing and bogus voting during the September 28 Village Committee elections, but has ordered re-polling in only three seats. The selective action has drawn sharp criticism from the CPI(M), which charged that the Commission had failed to maintain its independence and had acted to appease...
BY the time these lines were written, the death toll of children in Balaghat due to malnutrition, malaria, and vomiting-diarrhoea had reached 33. We hope that this figure does not rise further. Yet, in the eyes of Manuvadi governments, are tribals anything more than mere statistics? Had that been the case, the situation would not have been so dire. However, this state of affairs did not arise overnight; the...
WHEN Benjamin Netanyahu rose to address the United Nations General Assembly on September 24, the rows of empty seats spoke before he did. Diplomats walked out, while others had stayed away from the outset. News reports citing an Israeli tally put the number of delegations absent or departing at 77. This was not a recorded UN vote, nor did all 77 stage a coordinated walkout. Yet the image of an Israeli prime minister speaking to a depleted chamber captured a...
CRONY capitalism is one of the hallmarks of the current Union government. The Enforcement Directorate (ED), which acts as a mouthpiece and tool for a regime that cosies up to capitalists, has once again become active in Kerala. In this context, it would be appropriate to examine the real picture of the Modi-ED-Adani nexus, which has largely gone unnoticed.
THE recent groping of a young girl accompanying her classmate to visit a scenic spot, in broad daylight in Jamui, filming the most shameful act on mobile and uploading it, has made the blood of every sensitive Bihari boil and ask the govt whether the state is being driven towards Maha-Jungle Raj. Nitish Kumar had time and again reminded the people of 'Jungle Raj' prevailing during Lalu regime, and he used to boast that during his regime women and girls could go anywhere...
The New Delhi Declaration of the All-India Convention of Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and the Joint Declaration of the National Convention of Workers and Farmers held on July 28 and 29, respectively, at New Delhi will be marked in modern India's history as a decisive strategic action plan to demand a shift in development policy to protect the interests of the working people. The joint declaration has been endorsed by SKM, the...
Polit Bureau StatementsCPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statements
Condemn BJP Government’s Disgraceful Position on Venezuela |
