THE central government in an affidavit submitted to the Supreme Court on September 23, stated that it is not possible to carry out caste census in the 2021 census operation. It also made it clear that this was a ‘conscious policy decision’. The reasons advanced by the central government for its rejection of the widely supported demand for conducting caste census as a part of the general census are flimsy and trivial.
ON September 22, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro appeared at the United Nations General Assembly via a pre-recorded speech. He appeared there after a month of successfully challenging the attempt by the United States of America to isolate Venezuela politically and suffocate it economically. “It is possible to confront imperial aggressions,” Maduro said in a measured tone.
THE state conference of Himachal Pradesh unit of CPI(M) was held on September 25-26 at Kullu. According to the credential committee report, 195 delegates participated in the conference. The Party flag was hoisted by senior comrade and medical practitioner Dr M S Dattal. The conference was inaugurated by Party Polit Bureau member, Tapan Sen.The conference elected 30-member Party state committee, which unanimously elected Onkar Shad as new state secretary.
THE Modi visit to the United States had three major events. The first in-person meeting with President Joe Biden; the meeting of the leaders of the Quad countries; and the speech at the UN General Assembly.The kept media in India have painted the visit in rosy colours and uncritically conveyed the official version of what transpired in the bilateral meeting with President Biden, in the meetings with Vice President Kamala Harris and the outcome of the Quad meetings.
THE Bharat Bandh on September 27, 2021 was truly historic. In breadth, sweep and intensity, it surpassed the earlier two Bharat Bandhs in solidarity with the unprecedented farmers’ struggle, on December 8, 2020 and March 26, 2021.
THE recent Quad leaders meeting in the White House on September 24 appears to have shifted focus away from its original framing as a security dialogue between four countries, the US, India, Japan and Australia. Instead, the US seems to be moving much closer to Australia as a close strategic partner and providing it with nuclear submarines.Supplying US nuclear submarines that use bomb-grade uranium violates the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and International Atomic Energy Agency protocols.
THE Assam government led by the BJP, which has been dehumanising the religious minority community members of East Bengal origin by calling them "termites", is now evicting them from their homes to give the land away for farming to 'indigenous' people. Ironically, the controversial phrase 'indigenous of Assam' is yet to be defined by any constitutional bodies or authorities.The ruthless eviction drive on September 23 led to the killing of two poor Muslims and injuries to many others by the police under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
THE International Monetary Fund has announced a fresh issue of $650 billion Special Drawing Rights in August which would be distributed among member countries in proportion to their IMF quotas.