PRIME Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day Speech was full of the usual claims, promises and bombast. But here is the actual message behind what was said and what was left unsaid.‘SECULAR CIVIL CODE’Forcing a majoritarian set of customs and rituals on all communities is not ‘secular.’ The UCC is nothing but a tool for the RSS-BJP to invade people’s private lives to gain control over it, and to further their communal agenda.

IN a startling revelation, the Justice K Hema Committee, constituted by the Kerala government to investigate the issues faced by women in the film industry, reported that the casting couch is prevalent in the Malayalam film industry. The report begins with the following lines: “The sky is full of mysteries; with the twinkling stars and the beautiful moon. But scientific investigation revealed that stars do not twinkle, nor does the moon look beautiful.

THE Telangana state committee of CPI(M) organised the ‘Singareni Parirakshana Yatra (Save Singareni Jatha)’ from July 29 to August 5. The jatha was led by CPI(M) state secretariat member S Veeraiah, along with state committee members, Bhupal and P Ashiah. The jatha demanded that the government of India repeal the auction of coal blocks and directly assign the Sravanpally coal block to Singareni Collieries Company. The jatha reiterated that it is the right of Singareni Collieries Co.

ON August 7, 2024 a delegation of the All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) and the Kerala Karshaka Sangham (KKS – Kerala unit of AIKS) visited Chooralmala, the site of the devastating landslide in Wayanad, Kerala, which took place on the night of July 29/30.A KKS relief team had, of course, visited the spot immediately after the landslide on July 30, and volunteers of the KKS and also various other mass fronts have been helping in the rescue and relief work round the clock. We met a number of DYFI and AIKS volunteers who have been constantly engaged in this work in the landslide-affected area.

“For some political forces Shivaji, Phule, Shahu, Dr B R Ambedkar are mere names to repeat ad nauseum for political gains while they are in fact an anathema to them. The real enemies of these great figures and their teachings are currently in office in the state. The ruling alliance led by the BJP in Maharashtra is itself disturbing peace and social tranquillity in the state,” said Subhashini Ali, Polit Bureau member of the CPI(M), while addressing a well attended public meeting at Kolhapur on August 6, 2024.