A NEW political force is born in the state of Telangana. This force is Bahujana Left Front. The creation of Bahujana Left Front (BLF) has now become the topic of discussion in the arena of politics. Bahujans mean all those people across the society who endure economic exploitation and social oppression. The formation of a political front with an ideological foundation of uniting all these people is a welcome and hopeful development. Times and generations have changed, but still bahujans are treated as vote banks and not as human beings.
VETERAN leader of the Indian Workers’ Association (Great Britain) and poet, Com Avtar Singh Sadiq, passed away at his home in Leicester on January 28. He was 77. Avtar Sadiq, one of the most popular faces of the Indian Marxists in the UK, was elected as the national general secretary of the IWA at its Golden Jubilee in 1988 and then as the national president from 1993 to 2004.
IN his Preface to the Economic Survey, 2017-18, Arvind Subramanian, the chief economic adviser to the ministry of finance wrote “The (pink) color of this year's survey cover was chosen as a symbol of support for the growing movement to end violence against women, which spans continents. Addressing the deep societal meta-preference in favour of sons, and empowering women with education and reproductive and economic agency are critical challenges for the Indian economy”.
A memorial meeting for CPI(M) Central Committee member and Tripura Left Front chairman Khagen Das was organised at Rabindra Shatabarshiki Bhavan in Agartala on January 24. Das died in the early hours of January 20 in Kolkata where he had participated in the meeting of the Central Committee.
DESPAIRED of ever winning the faith of the democratic-minded and politically-conscious people of Tripura, the BJP has been leaving no stone unturned to create a fear psychosis among them ahead of the February 18 assembly election. The BJP inducted miscreants into the party for carrying out clandestine attacks, arson and rampage against the CPI(M).
AS Tripura goes into a crucial assembly election, there is a red alert for the people of the state as well as around the country. An unscrupulous party ruling at the centre hell-bent on grabbing power in Tripura by hook or by crook, an alliance between this party and a tribal separatist outfit known for its violent deeds, a stream of central ministers and other bigwigs visiting the state and denouncing the Left Front, enormous inflow of money to run the election campaign, use of central powers to tilt the local bureaucracy and security forces – and a steady increase in killings and violenc
LIKE the person on the proverbial tiger, the Indian economy is currently riding a precarious course. The Government of India’s Economic Survey for 2017-18 recognises this frankly, but its panacea is to keep one’s fingers crossed and hope that the ride continues.The macroeconomic data it presents are closer to those of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook Update prepared for the Davos meet than to the figures of the Indian government’s own Central Statistical Office.
THE vehicle strike in Kerala on January 24, 2018 from dawn to desk organised by Kerala Transport Industry Protection Council comprising CITU, AITUC, INTUC, HMS, STU, Janata Dal Trade Union Centre, TUCI, KTUC and owners associations against abnormal increase in prices of petrol and diesel due to the wrong policies of the Modi government, was total and successful. The workers of auto, taxi, private bus, KSRTC bus, lorry, driving school, automobile workshops, spare parts distributors, etc along with the owners of vehicles participated in the strike.
THE 22nd Uttar Pradesh state conference of CPI(M) was held in the historic city of Varanasi from January 28-30 which concluded with the resolve of defeating communal and casteist forces, establishing live links with toiling masses, and strengthening Party and mass organisations in the state. A massive public rally was held on the first day of the conference at the Benia bagh grounds of Varanasi. It was attended by thousands of Party workers and common masses from the city and surrounding areas. The ground was filled with scores of red flags, and slogans ranted the air.