Murder Most Foul

THE gruesome attack on protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh on October 3 marks a new level of violence against the farmers’ movement which has been going on for the past ten months.

The farmers were protesting the visit of the deputy chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Keshav Prasad Maurya, who was to attend a function organised by the union minister of state for home affairs, Ajay Mishra Teni.

Bhagwat in Jammu & Kashmir

THE RSS chief, Mohan Bhagwat, paid a four-day visit to Jammu recently. This was the first visit by Bhagwat to Jammu & Kashmir after the annulment of Article 370 and Article 35A of the Constitution. In one sense, this was a triumphant tour by the RSS chief since it was the Sangh which relentlessly opposed Article 370 and fought for its removal.

Bandh – A Big Success

THE September 27 bandh called by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has been a big success. This massive protest action took place exactly a year after the three farm laws came into force with the assent given by the President of India on September 27, 2020.

The bandh call saw the participation of crores of people – farmers, agricultural workers, industrial workers, transport workers, employees, shop keepers, students, youth and women.

Modi’s US Visit: Loss of Strategic Autonomy

THE Modi visit to the United States had three major events. The first in-person meeting with President Joe Biden; the meeting of the leaders of the Quad countries; and the speech at the UN General Assembly.

Wealth Transfer through the Bad Bank

THE Modi government has laid out one more plan to “clean” the books of banks, especially public banks, by helping them get rid of Rs 2 lakh crore of loans gone ‘bad’. It has announced the creation of two institutions for the purpose. The National Asset Reconstruction Company Ltd (NARCL), or the “bad bank” in popular parlance, will take over the bad assets of the banks.

No to Communal Divide in Kerala

KERALA has a unique social composition in which Muslims and Christians together comprise 45 per cent of the population. Kerala is also distinctive in that the three religious communities are interwoven into the social fabric and have coexisted harmoniously. The Malayali identity has assimilated the socio-cultural traits of all these major religious groups.

This mosaic is complemented by a strong secular tradition in politics to which the Left has made a major contribution.

Double Engine of Communal and Caste Appeal

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi has once again used his favourite analogy of “double engine growth” delivering “double profit” in Uttar Pradesh. Speaking at the foundation laying ceremony of the Raja Mahendra Pratap Singh State University in Aligarh, the underlying theme of the speech also made it clear what ‘double engine’ actually means. It is a combination of rank communal and caste appeal.

The Significance of Muzaffarnagar Rally

THE Muzaffarnagar Mahapanchayat organised by the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) on September 5 will go down as a historic landmark in the annuls of the peasant movement of the country. Lakhs of farmers from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab along with contingents from many other states participated in the rally.

Speaking Truth to Power

SUPREME Court Judge, Justice D Y Chandrachud, has given a thoughtful and lucid talk on ‘Speaking Truth To Power: Citizens And The Law’ on the occasion of the Justice M C Chagla Memorial Lecture.

In an erudite analysis of the relationship between truth and democracy and the role of citizens in speaking truth to power, Justice Chandrachud says: “Democracy needs the power of truth to survive. As such one can consider ‘speaking truth to power’ as a right every citizen must have in a democracy, but equally as also the duty of every citizen”.

Halt this Sell Out!

CAMOUFLAGED in jargon that speaks of ‘monetisation of de-risked assets’, the BJP-led NDA government has announced its plan to sell out India’s public sector. In that plan, assets ranging from roads, ports, airports and railway track and stations, through fuel pipelines, telecom towers, optical fibre cabling, warehouses, and stadia, are to be handed over to big private investors in return for upfront or staggered payments of around Rs 6 lakh crore over a four year period ending financial year 2025.

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Peoples Democracy

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