THE two months that have elapsed since the  Bharat bandh of April 2 against the dilution of the Prevention of Atrocities against SCs/STs (POA) by the Supreme Court judgment  have seen the most vicious and vindictive attacks on dalits in the BJP-ruled states of UP, MP, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.They have displayed the deep anti-dalit bias of the BJP run state governments and the upper-caste chauvinism of the Hindutva forces.At least eight dalits were killed during the bandh, some of them by RSS goons but no one responsible for their killing has been arrested or punished.  Some of the familie

THE Cobrapost sting investigation has graphically exposed the deep rot which has afflicted major sections of the media, both print and television.The Cobrapost expose involves 25 media organisations, including major ones, such as the Times of India, Zee TV, India Today, Hindustan Times, ABP News, Jagran Group and others.  This was the second installment of the revelations. The sting operation involved a reporter of the Cobrapost posing as an `acharya’ belonging to a sangatan purportedly connected to the sangh.  The `acharya’ approached the media owners and executi

THE Karnataka election has resulted in a hung Assembly.  The BJP has emerged as the single largest party winning 104 seats but falling short of a majority by eight;   the Congress was defeated getting only 78 seats and the Janata Dal (Secular) got 37 seats and its ally BSP won 1.The Congress decided to support the JD(S) leader, H D Kumaraswamy, to form the government and together they have a majority of 116 MLAs.

AS we observe the bicentenary of the birth of Karl Marx, one cannot but be struck by the innumerable times Marxism was declared dead or irrelevant after he had left the scene a hundred and thirty five years ago.  However, Marx and his thought, kept bouncing back to public attention.  This is because the ideas of Marx, concern social and historical change and that is something which cannot become anachronistic at any period of time. Karl Marx was born 200 years ago on May 5, 1818.  He died on March 14, 1883 at the age of 65.

THE missile strike on Syria by the armed forces of the United States, France and the United Kingdom is the latest instance of imperialist aggression. It is this sort of imperialist intervention that has resulted in the prolonged civil war for the past seven years.Over a hundred missiles were launched from ships and planes targeting three facilities in Damascus and Homs.