THESE two years since the Modi-II government was re-elected saw the consolidation of the process, with renewed vigour, put in motion seven years ago, post-2014 elections, of the realisation of the RSS project of converting India into their conception of a rabidly intolerant, theocratic, fascistic “Hindu Rashtra”. This was its declared objective on it’s founding in 1925.
THE All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation (AIPSO) organised a webinar on May 14, 2021 in solidarity with Palestine, condemning Israeli attacks. Iraklis Tsavdaridis, executive secretary of the World Peace Council (WPC) and Dr Aqel of the Palestinian Peace Committee spoke in the webinar, apart from the leadership of the AIPSO.Pallab Sengupta, general secretary of the AIPSO presiding over the webinar, briefly reported about the background of the present Israeli attacks on Palestine.
THE All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation (AIPSO) organised a webinar on May 14, 2021 in solidarity with Palestine, condemning Israeli attacks. Iraklis Tsavdaridis, executive secretary of the World Peace Council (WPC) and Dr Aqel of the Palestinian Peace Committee spoke in the webinar, apart from the leadership of the AIPSO.Pallab Sengupta, general secretary of the AIPSO presiding over the webinar, briefly reported about the background of the present Israeli attacks on Palestine.
Below we publish the essay authored by Aijaz Ahmad, Arundhati Roy, Githa Hariharan, Mohammed Yusuf Tarigami, Naseeruddin Shah, Nayantara Sahgal, Prabhat Patnaik, Ratna Pathak Shah, Subhashini Ali, Sudhanva Deshpande, and Vijay PrashadSINCE 1948, Israel has tried to erase the Palestinians from their lands and to erase the possibility of a Palestinian homeland. For good reason, the Syrian academic Constantine Zurayak published a book that year called Ma’na al-Nakba (Meaning of the Catastrophe).
ON May 6, 2021, Israeli officials arrived at Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood to support the Zionist settlers who were in the midst of a campaign to evict Palestinian families from their homes. East Jerusalem, where Sheikh Jarrah is located, has been under Israeli occupation since 1967; ‘occupation’ is a technical term, since the United Nations Security Council resolution 242 (1967) protected the seized areas of East Jerusalem, Gaza, and the West Bank as areas to be treated by Israel as the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT).
THE Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) at its general body meeting held at the Singhu border on May 14, gave a call to observe May 26, 2021 as ‘Black Day’ all over the country. May 26 marks the completion of six months of the historic farmers’ struggle. Lakhs of farmers, both men and women, have been constantly camping on the five borders around the national capital Delhi in cold, rain and heat, and have braved repression and defamation for six months. May 26 also marks six months of the massive All India strike by the working class.
MAY 16, 2021 will be a historic date for Chile. On that day, people of Chile have elected 155 members to the constituent assembly tasked with drafting a new constitution. Around 43 per cent of the Chileans (6.4 millions) voted in these elections, apart from voting for the election of 16 governors, 345 mayors, and 2,252 councilors. What is historic is not the simple fact that they had voted. It is the decisive defeat of the right-wing forces that makes this day historic.Out of the 155 seats in the constituent assembly, those who are unaffiliated with any political party secured 65 seats.
OUR first concept of self-reliance came out of our struggle for independence. It meant developing the indigenous capacity of our people, institutions and industry against the colonial control of the economy. The second self-reliance – Modi’s slogan of atmanirbhar Bharat – means only local manufacturing. Without the other elements of self-reliance, it has failed to deliver even the vaccines that we need so urgently today.
IF benevolent hearts like C Janardanan are ready to support the fight against the deadly pandemic, a government can do anything to ensure the availability of vaccines. Such tremendous action was the response of the people of Kerala to implement free and universal vaccination. No one appealed to them to donate money to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund (CMDRF), but thousands of Keralites living in the state and abroad have extended huge support for the vaccine challenge.
We have received congratulatory messages from various Communist and Worker’s Parties hailing the victory of the CPI(M) led LDF in the recently concluded assembly elections in Kerala. Below are the summarised extracts from some of those statements.IN a message sent on behalf of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Chen Zhou, vice minister of the international department, extended heartfelt congratulations to the CPI(M) on retaining power in Kerala. The message lauded the outstanding governance achievements in Kerala and also the positive role played by the CPI(M).