Editorial

“Paradise” for the Super Rich

THE revelations contained in the Paradise Papers based on investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists has thrown further light on how an intricate network of tax havens, opaque companies and financial dealings have developed to service the needs of multinational corporations and international finance capital.The Paradise Papers are based on leaked financial records from two companies – Appleby in Bermuda and Asiaciti in Singapore and scrutiny of company registers of 19 tax havens around the world comprising 13.4 million documents.

The Tillerson Gambit

THE first visit to India of the US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, marked another step in the US gambit to draw India fully into a strategic-military alliance in what is called the “Indo-Pacific” region.Before his visit, Tillerson made a significant speech at a think-tank in Washington entitled, “Defining Our Relationship with India for the Next Century”.

Long Live Red October!

THE year-long observance of the centenary of the October Revolution concludes on November 7.  The 21st Congress of the CPI(M) had called for commemorating the centenary from November 7, 2016 to November 7, 2017.Throughout the past twelve months, Party units have organised public meetings, red volunteer marches, seminars, exhibitions and cultural events.

Shielding the Corrupt

CONTRARY to the strident statements against black money and corruption, the Modi government and the BJP are, in practice, taking step after step to shield corruption and to allow the rich to launder black money.  Three such instances have occurred in the recent period.In the first case, the Modi government has raised the upper limit for buying jewellery without submitting PAN-Aadhar details to Rs 2 lakh per transaction.  Earlier, in August this year, the government had amended the Prevention of Money Laundering Act to make PAN and Aadhar mandatory for jewellery purchases above Rs 50,000 per

Taj Mahal: Perverted Vision

THE BJP rulers of Uttar Pradesh have a medieval communal mindset. Nothing exemplifies this attitude more than their attempt to denigrate the Taj Mahal which is considered as one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.The vilification of the Taj Mahal was begun by the Chief Minister Adityanath himself. In June this year, he called the Taj Mahal and similar Mughal monuments as not reflecting Indian culture. This was followed by the Uttar Pradesh Tourism department omitting the Taj Mahal from the places of tourist interest of the state in a booklet that it brought out.

A Bold Step: Dalit Priests in Kerala

WHEN 22 year-old Yedu Krishnan began his priestly functions at the sanctum sanctorum of the Shiva temple at Valanjavattom in Pathanamthitta district in Kerala, it was a historic first – a dalit priest at a major temple in Kerala.The Travancore Devaswom Recruitment Board (TDRB) decided to appoint six dalits as priests along with 30 other non-Brahmin priests.  The Board, which manages more than 1200 temples, functions under the supervision of the state government.  The reservation for backward classes and dalits was instituted for the first time.This is a major step taken to ensure that brahm

Is the BJP President’s Son above Scrutiny?

BJP president Amit Shah’s son, Jay Shah, has become the centre of a case of crony capitalism and questions are being raised about business malfeasance. According to a well-researched report in “The Wire”, an online news portal, Jay Shah owned a private limited company, Temple Enterprise Pvt Ltd, which had a revenue of only Rs 50,000 in 2014-15 but which rose to a turnover of Rs 80.5 crore in 2015-16, which is a 16,000 fold rise.  The company had unsecured loans of Rs 16.78 crore from a financial services firm.  However, in October 2016, the company abruptly wound up its business.An

Amit Shah’s Lumpen Politics

THE BJP president, Amit Shah, has embarked on a dangerous course of inciting violence against the CPI(M) by leveling false charges and accusations against the Party.Amit Shah has launched a `yatra’ of the BJP in Kerala, starting from Payyannur in Kannur district.  In his speech at the inauguration of the yatra, Shah made the shop-worn allegations about “red terror”, but what was new was his attributing the “killings of BJP-RSS workers” to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.The RSS violence against the CPI(M) in Kerala has occurred not only during the tenure of the present LDF

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