Developing “Infrastructure”

THE term “infrastructure” covers all sorts of things, from ports to roads to canals to bridges to building railway lines. Because it covers such a range of things, many of which appear to be useful, most people look upon “infrastructure” development as an indubitably desirable thing under all circumstances.

Indian Diplomacy Missed the BRICS Plot in Goa

THIS year has been controversial for India’s ‘multilateral diplomacy’. The SAARC summit, which was originally scheduled for November in Islamabad, got scuttled, thanks to India’s boycott.Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have since clarified that they too sought postponement of the summit in Islamabad, but for reasons other than ‘terrorism’. So has Afghanistan. Nepal regrets the postponement of the summit and wants an early re-scheduling. Maldives keeps silent.

Perfidious Drive of BJP in Tripura

ON October 16, the people of Tripura took to the streets roaring against the heinous attempts of some BJP miscreants to raid the chief minister’s residence in Agartala on the previous day. The pretext it manufactured was the so-called attack on its state president Biplab Deb.

WEST BENGAL: Ruling Nexus Fails the Communal Acid Test, Ismail’s Sewing Machine Endeavours

MUHAMMAD Ismail Ansari, owner of a small tailoring shop was robbed of all the seven sewing machines he had. Just about 100 metres away from there, Dilip Shaw’s grocery shop was set afire and burnt to ashes. The same happened to the shops of Akhter Hussain and Sirajuddin Ansari. Gita Devi’s home was ransacked and adjacent to it Mani Jaiswal’s shop also got robbed off. The vicinity of Hajinagar market in Naihati had all the charecteristic wounds and bruises of a communal riot.Dilip Ghosh, state BJP leader posted in his social media page that he had done his duty which was bestowed upon him.

AIDWA Supports Abolition of Arbitrary Triple Talaq

THE All India Democratic Women’s Association, in a statement issued on October 18, has extended its unequivocal support to the demand of Muslim women for an abolition of the instant arbitrary triple talaq. In its own campaigns, AIDWA has seen overwhelming support of Muslim women for this demand.It has strongly disapproved of the retrograde position taken by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board in this regard in its petition to the Supreme Court.

MAHARASHTRA: AIDWA Holds State Workshop for Muslim Women Activists

A STATE level workshop for the Muslim women activists of AIDWA was held on October 15-16, 2016 at Belapur in New Mumbai. Over 50 women from nine districts participated.

Thinking Together

The union government wants to bring in simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. Will this not be beneficial for the country? What is the CPI(M) stand on this proposal? Gurmesh Singh, ChandigarhTHE BJP-led government is eager to initiate simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and the state assemblies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come out supporting the idea of holding simultaneous elections.In September, the Modi government has sought the views of the people on the issue of holding simultaneous elections for the Lok Sabha and the state assemb

Oppose this Authoritarian Onslaught

WHAT has been happening in the National Capital Territory of Delhi is truly scandalous. Ever since the AAP government was formed after the February 2015 assembly election, there has been brazen and calculated attack by the central government to hamper the elected state government. The naked use of central power through the Lt.

Withdraw false cases, release all the arrested, Stop repression, demands CPI(M) Leader

Satyavati locked up in Tanaku jail, in West Godavari for the last month had a solidarity visit by Brinda Karat, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and others in the jail on October 13. She and thousands of others have been in a struggle to protect their land and livelihood from the setting up of an aqua food processing park which is highly polluting and will affect both agriculture and fishing in thirty villages.

For a More Equitable GST

THE introduction of VAT in the mid 1990s robbed the states of much of its taxation powers and curtailed their fiscal autonomy. With the constitutional amendment and introduction of the GST what had been prevailing de facto has now been de jure abolished. Now states no more have independent powers for indirect taxation, except on alcohol and petrol. They are forced to abide by the decisions of the GST Council where no decisions can be made without the concurrence of the central government, not even if all the states take a united position.

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