Editorial

After Uri, What?

THE attack on the army camp in Uri by four heavily armed militants has resulted in the death of 18 soldiers of the Indian army. This vicious assault has raised the question of how India should respond. Earlier, the attack on the IAF base at Pathankot in January this year had posed a similar problem for the Modi government.The RSS and its cohorts have demanded a strong response. In Ram Madhav’s words a “whole jaw for a tooth”. The television channels are full of retired military officers and self-proclaimed strategic experts demanding that Pakistan be taught a lesson.

Kerala: Stop These BJP-RSS Attacks

THE BJP is trying to spin a false narrative in Kerala about the increasing attacks on BJP and RSS workers. The BJP president Amit Shah has announced a five member team headed by one of its general secretaries Bhupendra Yadav to visit Kerala to enquire about the growing “incidents of attacks on BJP workers”.This move comes in the background of the national council meeting of the BJP scheduled to be held in Kozhikode in Kerala from September 23 to 25.

Halt Disastrous Path in Kashmir

The all-party parliamentary delegation visited Jammu and Kashmir on September 4 and 5.  The central government agreed to this visit after much delay.  This was the first political step taken in the background of the mass protests which began in the valley nearly two months before.  Though there were no meetings scheduled with the leaders of the Hurriyat, some members of the delegation made an effort to meet some of the Hurriyat leaders.  Sitaram Yechury, Sharad Yadav, D Raja and Jayaprakash Yadav belonging to the CPI(M), JD(U), CPI and RJD respectively met Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, Yasin Malik,

A Dangerous Precedent

The opening day of the monsoon session of Haryana legislative assembly saw a Jain muni addressing the legislators. This was an unprecedented violation of constitutional and parliamentary norms.By inviting the Jain muni, Ratan Sagarji, to address the legislature, the BJP chief minister M L Khattar has struck at the root of the secular character of the State which ordains separation of religion from politics.The Jain priest had a chair above the podium where the governor and the chief minister sat.

Forward to September 2 Strike

The working class of the country is poised to go on a general strike on September 2.  This will be the seventeenth general strike since liberalisation began in 1991.  In the 25 years of liberalisation, these 17 strikes are a manifestation of the big resistance put up by the workers against the neo-liberal offensive.The strike is being called for a 12-point charter of demands which consist of all the major issues which concern the working people.  They include the demand to curb price rise and strengthen the public distribution system; no dilution of labour laws; halting the privatisation an

Don't Interfere with Judiciary

THE chief justice of India, T S Thakur, has recently warned that the Supreme Court may have to make a judicial intervention to get the names of High Court judges recommended by the collegium and pending with the government approved.  For months now, there has been a stalemate between the government and the higher judiciary over filling up the vacancies in the High Court.  The Supreme Court collegium had recommended 74 names for appointment as High Court judges.  These have not been cleared by the government for appointment yet.  The standoff between the Modi government and the judiciary com

Retrograde Steps on Kashmir

KASHMIR has been in turmoil for the past six weeks.  The people in the Valley have been out on the streets in mass protests since the death of Burhan Wani, the Hizbul commander. Sixty five people have died in firing by the security forces and hundreds injured. The latest to be killed was 16 year old Mohd. Yasir Sheikh who was shot by police in Batamaloo area of Srinagar on August 15.

Parrikar and His Ilk

DEFENCE minister Manohar Parrikar symbolises much of what is wrong with the Modi government. Parrikar, as the minister for defence, occupies a vital position in the union cabinet. But this has not deterred him from spewing intolerance and bigotry; making bellicose statements against Pakistan and compromising the image of the armed forces. More worryingly, he seems bent upon converting the Indian armed forces into a subordinate ally of the Pentagon.

Stop Violence: Solidarity with Bengal

THE CPI(M) and the Left Front and the people supporting them in West Bengal have been facing unprecedented violence and attacks by the Trinamool Congress after the Assembly elections were over. The nature of the widespread violence and terror has not been fully comprehended outside the state given the fact that the mainstream media has stopped reporting these events after the victory of the TMC.

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