No Privatisation of Indian Railways

THE Modi government’s second coming is going to be marked by a stepped up privatisation drive. Already the Niti Aayog has announced that 46 public sector enterprises will be sold off or shut down as per a 100 day action plan.

President’s Address: One Dimensional View

THE president’s address to the joint session of parliament, the first after the Lok Sabha election, was expected to spell out the vision and priorities of the second Modi government. But President Ram Nath Kovind’s speech was sparse in detail and more went unsaid than said.

It is clear from the speech that the ruling party sees the “New India” as radically different from the India before 2014. The RSS notion of a Hindu nationalist Bharat underpins their vision of a ‘New India’.

Warmongering on Iran

THE threats to Iran are being ramped up by the United States. Some sections of the Trump administration are beating the war drums and the threat of military hostilities against Iran is being ratcheted up.

The attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on June 13 has become another pretext for targeting Iran. The Trump administration has been quick to hold Iran responsible for the attack. The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo has blamed Iran “based on intelligence, the weapons used, and the level of expertise needed for the operation.”

Go to the people

A DISTURBING feature of the CPI(M)’s performance to the 17th Lok Sabha election is the continuing fall in the overall voting percentage of the Party. This is mainly due to the sharp drop in the vote share of the Party in West Bengal and Tripura and to a lesser extent in Kerala.

Modi Submits Meekly to US

ALL indications are that the second term of the Modi government will mark a further reinforcement of its role as a junior partner of the United States. This will, in turn, quicken the implementation of the neoliberal agenda and the consequent adverse impact on the lives of the people.

Left Will Overcome

SOME mainstream newspapers have carried editorials announcing the demise of the CPI(M) and the Left. They have pronounced judgement that the “Left is over” or that the Left is in terminal decline.

Such obituaries have come in the wake of the severe defeat of the CPI(M) and the Left in the Lok Sabha election. The editorial verdicts have come on the basis that the CPI(M) and the Left have got no seats in West Bengal and Tripura and only one seat in Kerala.

The Election Verdict

THE 17th Lok Sabha elections have resulted in the BJP and the NDA getting a decisive majority and the return of the Modi government to power. The BJP has won an increased majority and the NDA has increased its overall tally.

Modi’s Coalition Phobia

NOT a day passes in this election campaign without Narendra Modi attacking the mahagatbandhan or opposition alliance as a `mahamilavat’ (great adulteration) and depicting them as a bunch of power hungry opportunists.

Israeli Attack on Gaza

THE aerial bombardment of Gaza by the Israeli armed forces is the latest piece of aggression in the ongoing attacks by Israel on the two million Palestinian people caged within this narrow strip of land. The current flare-up came after a skirmish on the border where Palestinians had assembled to demonstrate on Friday (May 3) against the Israeli policies of blockade and siege of Gaza.

Supreme Court: Justice Denied

THE crisis that has gripped the Supreme Court in recent times has been further aggravated by the way in which the Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and the Supreme Court have handled the accusation of sexual harassment leveled against the CJI himself in a written complaint made by a former Supreme Court employee, copies of which were given to all members of the Court. As a consequence, every effort should have been made to ensure complete transparency in the matter. But this was precisely what was not done.

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Peoples Democracy

Editorial