Thinking Together

Q The common criticism about the Communists is that they have ignored the reality of caste in India and harp only on the class factor. How does the CPI(M) view the question of caste and what is its role in fighting caste oppression?

R Ramachandran, Coimbatore

Historic 2nd September Strike: Lessons and Task Ahead

THE historic 2nd September General Strike was participated by crores of workers, and established many milestones. Support extended by other class and mass organisations was worth noting. For the first time even unfriendly quarters had no escape but to admit the unprecedented impact of the strike all over the country – across all the regions and economic sectors. However, above all, the success of the strike in the strategic sectors like road transport, coal mines, petroleum, power, telecommunication, etc.

WEST BENGAL: Sit-in against Power Tariff Hike

PROTESTING against the steep hike of electricity tariff in Kolkata and the rest of West Bengal, Left Front workers organised sit-in-demonstrations in front of the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation Ltd. (CESC) headquarters, in Kolkata and West Bengal State Electricity Board head office, Vidyut Bhawan at Salt Lake on September 9. The sit-in continued for 24 hours.West Bengal has seen unprecedented hike in power tariff in the last four years of the TMC rule.

Modi Govt: Political Arm of the RSS

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on September 4.

THE detailed reports of their work being given by union government ministers to RSS leaders at their joint meeting in the capital is an affront to Indian democracy. It clearly shows that the RSS is not merely the remote control but is in the direct control of this BJP government which acts as the RSS’s political arm.

Oppose Disenfranchisement Attempts

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued the following statement on September 10.THE Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) is strongly opposed to the attempts of the BJP-led Haryana government to disenfranchise a huge section of the population from contesting the ensuing panchayat elections in the state. The state government earlier promulgated an ordinance where four extraneous criteria were spelt out for eligibility to contest these elections. They asked for a minimum educational attainment, the proof of possessing pucca toilet, non

Left Parties Hold People’s Political Convention in Bihar

SIX Left parties – CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML), SUCI (Communist), RSP and Forward Block – held a joint people’s political convention on September 7, and exhorted the electorate of Bihar to defeat the pro-feudal, communal-corporate combination led by the BJP, to reject the opportunist alliance of JD(U), RJD, Congress combine and to strengthen the Left in the ensuing assembly polls.SK Memorial Hall located near the Gandhi Maidan was the perfect venue to launch a frontal attack against both the bourgeois landlord formations for their utter contempt for the suffering people of Bihar, which use money

A Swayamsevak Club

THE three-day meeting of the RSS and its affiliated organisations from September 2 to 4 called the “Samanvya Baithak” was widely reported as a coordination meeting between the RSS and the BJP government. The meeting was attended by all the senior ministers of the Modi government – Rajnath Singh, the home minister, Arun Jaitley, the finance minister, Sushma Swaraj, the external affairs minister, Manohar Parrikar, the defence minister and others. The BJP president Amit Shah was present.

Arrest Prof. M M Kalburgi's killers

PROFESSOR M M Kalburgi, a renowned Kannada scholar and writer, was shot dead at his residence in Dharwad of Karnataka in the morning of August 30, sending shock waves across the state as well as the country. This is the first case of a writer/scholar being killed in Karnataka, and in all likelihood due to the fear of “adverse impact” of his scholarship on communal discourse in the state.

Moral Policing by Sangh Goons Keeps Coastal Karnataka on Edge

AN 'invisible' government is ruling the coastal Karnataka. The 'visible' government is at their beck and call. The flag-bearers of this 'invisible' government or Hindutva vanguard decide with whom a girl from their community may or may not associate. They have absolute authority to punish any Muslim boy seen in public with a Hindu girl. In such cases, the Muslim boy is assaulted and humiliated in any way they please. The Hindu girl, too, is insulted, manhandled and threatened, all in order to protect her ‘honour’.

Victory for United Movement against Land Acquisition Bill, 2015

THE united issue-based struggle built against the draconian land acquisition provisions sought to be imposed by the Narendra Modi-led BJP government has emerged victorious as the government was forced to not re-promulgate the ordinance.

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