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Kerala’s Pro-people Budget in Covid Times

THE return of the Left Democratic Front (LDF) to power in Kerala in May 2021, with an unprecedented mandate, was driven by an extraordinary record of governance on multiple fronts. On the one hand, the economic policies of the central government led to falling economic growth rates, rising unemployment and poverty and shrinking public revenues. Kerala was particularly severely affected by many of these misadventures in policy. On the other hand, Kerala was hit by multiple natural calamities, an epidemic and a pandemic between 2016 and 2021.

Central Vista Redevelopment Project: Government: Legislator, Executor; Violates Law with Impunity

THE Central Vista Redevelopment Project(CV) in Delhi, right since its inception has been seen as one of the biggest projects for its opaqueness and many mysteries that kept on developing as the project advanced. The strong push from the government of India, especially by the prime minister himself for timely completion of the new parliament building before his second term expires has seen complete impunity to the laws of the land. Here it means the building laws as determined by the Delhi Master Plan(MPD).

Six Months of Kisan Movement

THE longest, largest, most united, and peaceful kisan struggle since independence has been continuously gaining in strength. The agitating farmers have shown unprecedented unity, determination and strength despite facing several odds – from winter chill to pouring rains and searing heat. As the anti-peasant Modi government did not allow them to come to the national capital, farmers in their thousands are seating peacefully at five border points of Delhi -- Singhu, Tikri, Gazipur, Palwal and Shahjahanpur.

New IT Rules: Attack on Citizen’s Rights

THE ministry of electronics and information technology (MeitY) issued a new set of rules as part of the IT Act on February 25,  2021, termed the "Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics." Social media intermediaries such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp were given three months (by May 25th) to comply with the rules or lose their 'safe harbour' provisions. Compliance with these rules would significantly change the way we interact with such platforms and each other, threatening our fundamental rights of free speech and privacy.

Online Symposium on Contemporary Marxism: Development and Innovation in Theory and Practice

Below we publish the full text of the fraternal message of greetings sent to Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC), by Sitaram Yechury, general secretary, CPI(M) on the occasion of the centenary of the founding of the Communist Party of China. This message was read out by R Arun Kumar, Central Committee member of the Party, at the online symposium held on May 27

A Protest, a Veto and a Committee: The Story of a Farmers' Protest

Today, as peasants gather in Delhi to mark six months of one of the most popular protests in contemporary times, what lessons does a 1907 incident have?

ON May 26, 1907, Lord Minto, viceroy and governor general of India, put an end to one of the most intense popular peasant agitations in the Punjab province by the exercise of a veto on the Colonisation Bill introduced in the Punjab Legislative Council in October 1906.

What Happens next to Housing

HUMAN suffering is regarded as a secondary issue in our country.  We listen to  fake  history  spread through the media by  our rulers that are intended to   praise  our ancient past  and to also to re-write our history  so that it is  sanitized of  any traces of our socialist, secular and democratic character of our constitution. They regard this as a purification for our people.

Casteism in the Diaspora

IN his seminal and instructive work The Annihilation of Caste,  Dr Ambedkar says   ‘….turn in any direction you like, caste is the monster that crosses your path.’  Nothing has occurred to alter this shameful truth in any way; not just in India but wherever Hindus are to be found.

Lakshadweep; an Agenda beyond Praful Khoda Patel

THE coercive moves of Lakshadweep’s administrator, Praful Khoda Patel in the archipelago are in sync with the RSS’s political Holy Grail: repression of minorities and the insidious plan to implement the Hindutva agenda. The similarities in CAA, the decision to scrap provision of Article 370 that granted a special status to Kashmir, criminalising divorce among Muslims alone, arbitrariness over Ayodhya, and such moves of the Narendra Modi-led government with this latest raft of measures are inescapable.

Re-bundling Britain’s Railways

LAST week saw the announcement of a momentous reform of Britain’s railway system. While the term “reform” under the neo-liberal policy framework these days connotes increased privatisation and deregulation, the UK government under prime minister, Boris Johnson has gone the other way. The UK government released a white paper based on an official review set up in 2018 led by businessman Keith Williams, former head of the now privatised British Airways. The reforms unveiled therein are known as the Williams-Shapps plan after UK transport secretary (termed minister in India) Grant Shapps.

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