RESPONDING to Left parties’ call to organise countywide protest on December 19, 2019 against CAA and NRC; Left activists, mainly of CPI(M), CPI and CPI(ML), and at some places SUCI and AIFB, came out on the streets, in hundreds, at least in 33 districts in Uttar Pradesh as per available reports so far. At some places, Sharad Yadav’s party and some other smalerl parties also joined. They were joined by large number of people beyond Left’s influence including minorities, students and youths.

THE 12th national conference of the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), held from December 27-30, 2019 in Mumbai concluded with the call to safeguard the constitution and fight the neoliberal policies and Manuvadi ideology of the current BJP-RSS regime.740 delegates from 24 states attended the conference held in Ahilya Rangnekar Nagar and Mangleshwari Debbarma Hall, Saboo Siddik Polytechnic at Byculla in Mumbai. It was the first AIDWA national conference to be held in Maharashtra.

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi’s assertion that there had been no discussion on a countrywide National Register of Citizens (NRC) is not correct, CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has said. Talking to the media in Hyderabad on December 28, Yechury said, “In 2014, answering to my question, the home minister said that NPR (National Population Register) will be started and on the basis of which the process of NRC will begin in all the states. Since then the announcement of NRC made for eight times. This is on record.