ON May 11, 2017, the Maharashtra Rajya Kisan Sabha (AIKS) held an ‘Aasood’ (Whipcord) state convention followed by an ‘Aasood’ state rally to the house of the BJP’s state agriculture minister Pandurang Fundkar at Khamgaon in Buldana district of Vidarbha region. Mahatma Jotirao Phule had written a celebrated book that was aptly called “Shetkaryacha Aasood” (Whipcord of the Farmer). It was from this that the AIKS coined the name.   Khamgaon town had been decorated with hundreds of AIKS flags.

THE 32nd death anniversary of the founder general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Comrade P Sundarayya, was observed by the Party and several mass organisations in Telangana on May 19. Rich tributes were paid to Sundarayya, recollecting his contribution for building the Communist movement, strengthening the Party, mass organisations, conducting struggles of the people and ideological struggle.

WITH the aim of reaching Shabbirpur village in Saharanpur district of UP, a delegation led by Than Singh, convenor of Dalit Shoshan Mukti Manch and comprising of Rao Daud Khan, district secretary of the CPI(M), Advocate Vikram Singh and Vikas Negi from Moradabad and Advocate Rajneesh Kumar, Ajay Kumar, Navneet Singh and Surendra Kumar from Deoband, visited Saharanpur on May 9.The police administration of Saharanpur has so far not allowed any delegation from outside to visit Shabbirpur. The delegation therefore could not visit the site of the incidents.

AS part of a two-day session of the CPI(M) Odisha state committee, a seminar on ‘Challenges Before India Today’ was organised on May 3 at the Institute of Engineers hall in Bhubaneswar.CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, addressing the gathering of a cross-section of people, called upon them to be vigilant and fight back the danger posed today by communal forces led by the RSS-BJP. “Whether India, as we see it today, will remain the same? A combination of many religions, communities, castes – will it remain unaffected by the onslaught unleashed by Hindutva forces?” he asked.

THE CPI(M) has been struggling against forcible land acquisition by the BJP government in Jharkhand for a power plant to be set up by the Adani group in Godda district.The 1,600 MW power plant is proposed to be set up in Godda district in Santhal Pargana region by the Adani group, a favourite of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The district administration is trying to acquire five thousand acres of land for the plant in Poraiyahaat and Godda blocks by hook or by crook on the direction of the BJP-led government. of the district.