COMRADE Kakoli Khetrapal, a 52-year-old CPI(M) worker from Nabagram in East Burdwan's Jamalpur was hacked to death on Sunday, May 2nd. Trinamool Congress members, celebrating their election victory, entered her home while she was cooking and attacked her with a sharp weapon. Comrade Khetrapal died on way to the hospital.
THE Left Democratic Front (LDF) government in Kerala has been re-elected to office with a big mandate. This is a significant election in many respects.The first significant aspect of the election is that this is the first time after 1977 that an incumbent government has been re-elected in Kerala.No Left-led government previous to the present one has been re-elected in the state. The first ministry to be formed by the Communist Party in Kerala was in 1957. It was the first elected government after the establishment of the modern State of Kerala and was led by E M S Namboodiripad.
THE G7 foreign ministers of G7 countries met in London this week and issued a joint statement painting Russia as a malicious actor and China as a bully. It had little substance in its communique, apart from ticking all the “right” boxes in its anti-China and anti-Russia campaign: Uyghur’s, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Crimea, Ukraine. It ended with arrogating to itself the mantle of being the “rules-based international order”, distinct from what the real lawful international order is, the United Nations and the Security Council.
OF all the decisions taken by the Modi government the most mindless has been the so-called “liberalisation” of vaccine distribution. Originally, the central government was the sole buyer from the two producing firms at a fixed price of Rs150 per dose, and then, while itself distributing them free to the people,also usedother channels for distribution, including private hospitals (who however charged Rs250 per dose because they had to pay the central government for the vaccines).
LAST week the historic farmers’ struggle had two great events to celebrate. The first was May Day and the second was the defeat of the BJP in the assembly elections in three major states -- Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal -- followed closely by the big setback to it in the three-tier panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh.FARMERS HAIL BJP’S POLL DEFEATAmong lakhs of farmers whose struggle has now crossed five months, with over 400 martyrs, there has been tremendous anger building up against the BJP-RSS central government led by Modi and Shah.
Leaders of thirteen opposition parties issued a statement on May 2, 2021, on the acute demand for oxygen and universal vaccination in the country.IN times of the uncontrollable surge of the pandemic across our country:We call upon the central government to focus all attention in ensuring the uninterrupted flow of oxygen supplies to all hospitals and health centres across the country.We call upon the central government to immediately launch a free mass vaccination programme across the country.The budgetary allocation of Rs 35,000 crore for the vaccination programme
THE All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA) has condemned the post-election violence that has reached terrifying proportions in West Bengal since the state assembly election results were declared on the evening of May 2. It said that 12 people have already been killed in the state, whatever may have been their political colour.AIDWA condemned the outbreak of unbridled terror destroying lives and property and turning into a threat against democracy and harmony among the people of this state.
BELOW we present how the international media is viewing the second wave of the pandemic in India.The second wave of Covid-19 has engulfed length and breadth of the nation leaving people and hospitals desperately sending SOS signals for beds, ventilators, Remdesivir and oxygen.The international media from north to south condemned the Modi government for ineptly handling the pandemic situation in India.The Guardian: The Indian prime minister’s overconfidence lies behind the country’s disastrous Covid-19 responseThe opinion piece by The Guardian came down heavily on the prime
“INTERNATIONAL Mother Earth Day, April 22, 2021, marks the 51st international day to protect ‘planet earth’ from the grotesque challenges it faces; challenges for the survival of the planet, and also of the living species, including human beings.
WHEN the country is grappling with the worst health crisis it has faced in a century, the Covid-vaccine producers have decided to seize the opportunity to go on a profiteering spree, taking advantage of the Modi government’s incompetence or complicity (call it what you will).Two issues have to be distinguished at the outset: one, what should be the price for the Covid vaccine that consumers should be paying; and there can be little doubt that this price should be zero, as even Dr Arvind Subramaniam, a former chief economic adviser under the Modi regime has pointed out.