A DELEGATION of the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) comprising of Jagmati Sangwan, general secretary, Sheba Farooqui, secretary accompanied by Rajeev Shant and Banne Ali of the Uttar Pradesh All India Agricultural Workers Union had visited Katara Saadatganj village in Badaun district of UP on May 30, 2014, where the horrible incident of gang-rape and murder of two minor OBC girls occurred on May 27, 2014.
PRIME Minister Narendra Modi is notoriously fond of flashy mega projects whose value seems to lie not in any intrinsic merits, but in their audacious scale and in what they proclaim about his vision, authority and leadership capability. The huge statue of Sardar Patel in Gujarat under then Chief Minister Modi is a good example.
THE global economic crisis is usually seen as the sequel to the collapse of the housing bubble in the United States. This understanding however is inadequate. The formation of that bubble and its collapse are episodes which are themselves embedded within a deeper structural crisis that afflicts contemporary capitalism, one related to the phenomenon of “globalisation”.
HUMANITY'S collective conscience is raped. Of course, if we have one. Strong feelings? Feeling disgusted and sad that could not express in more stronger terms. If December 16 was not enough, what else would? Experience of each passing day teaches that sadism can get even more sadistic, brutality even more brutal and violence, even more violent. If December 16 was a red letter in the calendar, there are no more blue letters on it. Every day is getting a new coat of red, as it recedes into history. A paint of red. A stain of blood.
THROUGH a statement issued from New Delhi on May 31, the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) strongly opposed the Modi government’s move, as reported by the media, for allowing 100 percent FDI in defence sector. Such a move is totally detrimental to the interests of the indigenous defence production network, mainly under government departments and public sector undertakings (PSUs), and also to the national security management and preparedness.
ADMITTEDLY it is too early to comment upon the functioning of the new government. The president of India, as is customary after every general elections, will address the joint session of the parliament after the newly-elected MPs are administered their `oath’ and the Lok Sabha elects its speaker. This address is scheduled only on Monday, June 9, 2014. In this speech, the president of India outlines the general blueprint of the work that `his’ government intends to do. This usually prioritises the government’s promises that will be undertaken/fulfilled during the first 100 days.
AT long last, more than a month long grueling elections for forming the sixteenth Lok Sabha are over. With eighty two crore registered voters – this was easily the biggest show of the citizens’ democratic exercise of their franchise not only to choose their representatives – but they in turn would choose the new government. After three decades, the people have chosen a government where a single party has got an absolute majority. In that sense this was a decisive verdict.
THE CPI(M) West Bengal state committee has thoroughly reviewed the election results in its two day meeting on June 2-3. CPI(M) general secretary Prakash Karat, along with Polit Bureau members Sitaram Yechury and Manik Sarkar were present in the meeting.
THE CPI(M) has won a seat each in the elections to the assemblies of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha; these were held along with the parliament elections.
The party won the Bonai (ST) seat in Odisha, with its candidate Laxman Munda defeating the ruling Biju Janata Dal candidate by a margin of 1818 votes. Munda secured 39,125 votes.
In Andhra Pradesh the party won the Bhadrachalam (ST) seat, defeating the TDP nominee by 1815 votes. The party’s candidate was Sunnam Rajaiah.
The CPI(M) did not have a representation in the Odisha assembly last time.