THE liberation war of Bangladesh was absolutely a struggle of Bangladeshi people to get rid of the tyranny and get freedom from Pakistan. None had created Bangladesh from outside. The people of Bangladesh had wanted liberation because of deprivation, which was spontaneous, said Biman Basu, member of the Polit Bureau of CPI(M) while speaking as the chief guest in a seminar held at Dhaka on March 5 last.
ON the occasion on International Women's Day on March 8, Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan allowed all women MPs to speak during both question and zero hours while Rajya Sabha gave its women MPs the first right to speak during zero hour.
THE central trade unions (CTUs), including the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), have observed March 10 as ‘All India Protest Day’ to register their protest against the ‘anti-labour’ policies of the central and some state governments.
THOUSANDS marched in Delhi on the national call of ‘People’s March to Save Democracy’ by various student organisations. JNUSU has also given a call to join this march. This march saw the convergence of people’s anger against the RSS’ assault on the educational institutions across the country and this was evident in the demands raised as well.
THE students’ union, University of Hyderabad (UoH) had organised a rally and a public talk on the occasion of 106th International Women’s Day. Zuhail KP, president, students’ union inaugurated the talk and Chiluka Srilatha, cultural secretary, students’ union presided the meeting. Brinda Karat, CPI(M) Polit Bureau member and Prof. Vimal Thorat were the principal speakers.
THE political campaign of the Peoples’ Welfare Front – the alternative alliance comprising the MDMK, CPI(M), CPI and VCK – has entered the fourth phase.All the four phases of the campaign have reflected a sense of camaraderie and enthusiasm.Going to the assembly polls on May 16, Tamilnadu may have to face a six cornered contest.The ruling AIADMK is mired in infighting. This, according to political observers in the state, may erode the huge support base of the Party.
A state-level convention of construction workers was held in Jammu on March 5. Around 200 delegates from 14 out of 22 districts of Jammu and Kashmir attended the convention, organised by the Construction Workers’ Federation of India (CWFI).
ON the call of various national women’s organisations – AIDWA, AIPWA, JWP, Purogami Mahila Sanghatan, Pragatisheel Mahila Sanghatan, Swastika Mahila Samiti, Anhad, Janwadi Mahila Samiti, Delhi, Janwadi Mahila Samiti, Haryana, and Sakriya – hundreds of citizens participated in the peoples march in Murthal on March 12. They demanded constitution of an SIT by the Punjab and Haryana High Court to investigate the cases of gang rapes reported in media on Murthal National Highway No: 1 during the Jat reservation agitation.
AZHAGAR, a young farmer from Tamilnadu aged only 26 years committed suicide after officials of a private financial firm seized his tractor to recover Rs Two lakh loan from him. The news of the seizure of the tractor had been reported widely on the same day that Vijay Mallya, accused of defrauding banks of over Rs 9000 crore was allowed by the Narendra Modi-led BJP government to flee the country. Azhagar was physically assaulted and insulted by the officials of the private financial firm.
THERE was a time when India had one of the finest statistical systems in the developing world. No matter how one interpreted the statistics that came out of that system, one could take the figures themselves as reasonably correct. This alas is no longer true. We now have GDP estimates which the Economic Survey of the union government itself considers unreliable. And some of the figures given in the latest Economic Survey are quite bizarre.Take the manufacturing sector.