100% FDI in Indian Defence Industries: “Nationalists” Ditch Self-Reliance?

THE only reason there is a question mark at the end of the title is that, although a policy note is pending consideration by the cabinet, the BJP-led government has not yet announced its decision. But the drumbeats in support of a policy to further liberalise the defence manufacturing sector to FDI are growing louder, led by Indian corporates with clear vested interests, as well as some strategic experts advancing a spurious logic and some economists and miscellaneous commentators who perennially clamour for FDI in any and all spheres, as if it were the panacea for all difficulties.

SAHMAT Condemns Threat to Artiste

THROUGH a press statement issued from New Delhi on June 9, 2014, the Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT) strongly condemned the threat issued to renowned singer Shubha Mudgal in California. There, a pro-Modi supporter of Hindutva threatened Mudgal at a concert, for her vocal and public opposition to the Hindutva forces.

RSS: The Anti-Constitutional “Power Centre” of the Modi Sarkar

THE role of the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh in the 2014 general election has been astonishing not only in its extent and influence, but even more so, in its very public and direct involvement in the most significant political event in the nation’s calendar. The door-to-door campaigning and booth management by more than six lakh RSS cadres who worked under RSS committees during the general elections, is now going to be repeated for the impending Delhi assembly elections. The organisation has again announced that the BJP cannot be relied upon to carry out these tasks efficiently.

AIKS Organises Mass Adivasi Wedding in Surgana

THE All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) unit in the Surgana tehsil of Nashik district of Maharashtra continued its three decades old tradition by organising a mass adivasi wedding of 51 couples on May 31, 2014. Over 10,000 people attended this unique function that was held in Alangun village.

AIFAWH Delegation Meets WCD Minister Anganwadi Demands Day to be observed on July 4

A DELEGATION of the All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH) under the leadership of Tapan Sen MP, general secretary, CITU met the minister for women and child development, Maneka Gandhi on June 17, 2014 and submitted a 16-point charter of demands. The delegation consisted of A R Sindhu, general secretary and K Hemalata, vice president of AIFAWH and secretaries of CITU and Usharani, Santosh Rawal and Kishori Varma, secretaries of AIFAWH.

The Intelligence Bureau Report

THE Intelligence Bureau report suggesting that foreign-funded NGOs are holding up the nation’s “development” could be dismissed as a silly piece of officialese, were it not for the fact that the government of India seems keen to use it not just for acting against some particular NGOs but for breaking down any opposition to the process of primitive accumulation of capital unleashed by neo-liberalism.

CPI(M) Opposes Narmada Dam Decision

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) issued the following statement on June 13, 2014.
THE decision of the Modi government to go ahead with raising the height of the Narmada dam to 38.5 metres goes against the spirit of the Supreme Court judgement of 2000 which had made any such step conditional on putting into place relief and rehabilitation measures for those who will be affected.

People’s Miseries to Mount Exponentially

EVEN before the new government announced the schedule for the budget session of the parliament and the date when it would present its first budget has come worrisome news on the economic front. This has two dimensions – one for India Inc. and the other for the vast majority of our people. As we noted in these columns earlier, post-elections is the payback time for those who heavily financed the BJP election campaign and forcefully projected Narendra Modi as the `messiah’ of India Inc.

West Bengal Left Front will Observe 72 hours Sit-in Demonstration

THE Left Front will hold sit-in demonstrations from June 25-27 protesting the terror against the Left Front activists unleashed by the goons backed by the ruling party and attack on democratic rights as well as the livelihood of the common people of the state. The programme will highlight unprecedented attacks on democratic and constitutional rights of the people in the state.

Left Parties & Mass Organisations Protest against Tsundur Verdict

BOTH Andhra Pradesh and Telangana state governments must take initiative to see that a special bench of Supreme Court takes up the Tsundur massacre of dalits case immediately, said CPI(M) Polit Bureau member B V Raghavulu in Hyderabad. He was addressing a dharna in front of Hyderabad district collectorate office organised by ‘Struggle Committee for Justice to Tsundur Dalits’, Left parties, KVPS and mass organisations on June 16.

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