IN Himachal Pradesh, the apple economy is about Rs 5,000 crore. It is the backbone of the state’s economy. During the past few years due to the implementation of the neoliberal economic policies by the successive governments in the state, the horticulture  sector especially the apple industry has been neglected. The subsidies on fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides were withdrawn. The research and development projects were also neglected. The budgetary provisions on research in horticulture universities have also reduced.

THE CPI(M), on July 16, organised a state-wide satyagraha in front of government hospitals in Telangana to highlight and protest the state and central governments’ failure in containing the spread of Covid-19 in the state. Over 47,000 Covid-19 positive cases have been reported across the state and more than 400 people have succumbed to the infection so far.

THE Kerala state secretariat of CPI(M), in a statement issued on July 10, 2020 said that the violent protests organised by the opposition in the name of the gold smuggling case to topple the LDF government, is a threat to human lives when Kerala is at the brink of Covid-19 community transmission.

IT is clear that the political and economic interests of the Congress, the BJP and a section of media have created a smokescreen and is trying to distract the investigation from the issue of gold smuggling. The basic and crucial questions are: who smuggled the gold, who did it for whom, for how long has it been happening, which are the forces that helped it, and who all benefited from it.

HUGE response of the people across the state was witnessed as the five Left parties observed protest day on July 7 in Tripura. CPI(M), CPI, CPI (ML-Liberation), RSP and Forward Bloc had given the call on six-point charter of demands.