IN the morning of November 19, a CPI(M) group consisting of Hiralal (state secretary), B L Bharti (state secretariat member) and I left for Bahraich to see for ourselves what the situation was after the horrible events of October 7th.  On that day, a ‘Durga Visarjan’ procession was deliberately taken out from the Muslim-dominated area of Maharajganj town.  The major part of the procession passed through without any untoward incident but the last groups of participants stopped in front of the mosque and started playing obscene songs on the DJ which consisted mainly of, what is known in North

THE 20th state conference of Manipur state committee of the CPI(M) was held in Imphal on November 15, 2024. The conference began with Ningthoujam Tomba, aged 101 years, freedom fighter and associate of the legendary leader and founder of Communist Party of Manipur Comrade Hijam Irawat Singh, hoisting the red flag amidst slogan shouting. All delegates paid respects to the martyrs who were killed by the class enemies, communal and fundamentalist forces. The conference was held in a hall named after Comrade Sitaram Yechury.

“NINETY days have passed since August 9. Ninety days of rage, ninety days of resilience. Ninety days since the brutal rape and murder of Dr Abhaya-Tilottama at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital ignited a fire in our hearts. For ninety days, we've demanded justice, rising against the tide of lawlessness engulfing our state. We've amplified the voices of women and marginalised genders, victims of relentless violence. We've battled a crumbling healthcare system and the pervasive insecurity that plagues our workplaces. We've resisted the calculated destruction of our education system.

THE CPI(M) Shimla district conference took place on November 5-6 in the small town of Rampur, Shimla. Prior to the conference, a large public meeting was held, addressed by the Party's district secretary, Sanjay Chauhan. In his speech, Chauhan criticised the government for amending laws to favour corporate interests. He highlighted the devastating natural disasters that struck Himachal Pradesh in 2023 and 2024, which caused widespread destruction of homes and farmland. Despite this, he noted, the central government had failed to offer any relief to the state.

FERNANDO Gonzalez Lort, member of the National Assembly of Cuba and President of the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the People of the World, (ICAP) was in Delhi on a three-day visit from November 5-7, 2024. He was returning after attending the 10th Asia-Pacific Solidarity Conference with Cuba held in Beijing.In his three-day whirlwind visit, he interacted with students of various universities in Delhi and the all India leadership of student and youth organisations. He explained the current situation in Cuba and the effects of economic embargo on the small country.