THE All India Democratic Womens Association in a statement issued on August 9, 2014 has strongly condemned the blatant lies and half-truths being spread by the BJP and Sangh Parivar about the case registered by a young woman in Meerut alleging gang-rape and conversion. They are exploiting her distress to create communal conflict and hatred. An AIDWA delegation comprising of Subhashini Ali (vice-president) Reeja Jayaprasad and Akhila Singh (CEC members) visited the young woman on August 8 and also met the family members who were with her at the hospital.
THE financial press, across the globe, continues to castigate India for the collapse of the recent WTO negotiations in Geneva. Given the huge misinformation campaign, much of which has been echoed by the capitalist press in India, it is necessary to nail the lies, canards and half-truths that are being peddled every day.
IT is one hundred years ago that the first world war had broken out, a war which had been unprecedented not just in terms of the savagery and scale of destruction of human lives, but in its scope and nature as well. There are at least three ways that it differed from all previous wars.
ON the occasion of the call given by the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) Movement to observe August 9 as the ‘Day of Rage’ more than 70 political and cultural organisations including Left organisations such as Safdar Hashmi Memorial Trust (SAHMAT), Jan Natya Manch, All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), Janwadi Lekhak Sangh, Jana Sanskriti, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), Students’ Federation of India (SFI), All India Students’ Association (AISA), All India Kisan Sabh
Cuba Rebellion Day, marking the storming of Moncado Garrisons by Fidel Castro and his comrades on 26 July 1953 was observed in New Delhi on 1 August by the National Committee for Solidarity with Cuba and the Embassy of Cuba. A meeting was organised to commemorate the occasion in BTR Bhavan Auditorium and was attended by diplomatic corps from various embassies, leaders of political parties, mass and class organisations.
The All India Democratic Women’s Association has issued the following press statement on August 13,2014. THE AIDWA feels that while there is a need to address serious crimes committed by juveniles the present amendment moved by the union government will not serve this purpose and is retrogressive in nature.
THE 16th Lok Sabha elections have brought about a sea-change in the political landscape of Bihar and have posed a serious challenge before the Left forces in particular and the secular forces in general.The break-up in the JD(U)-BJP alliance during the last Lok Sabha elections after 17 long years of togetherness and the decimation of the JD(U) on one hand and the RJD-Congress combine on the other by the BJP and its alliance partners, paved the way for a future re-alignment of political forces in the state.
THE Left Democratic Front has registered an emphatic victory in the by-elections held on August 12 for various local bodies. The LDF has wrested 18 seats out of 26. The UDF got only eight seats. The LDF’s victory spree spread in almost all districts from Thiruvananthapuram to Kannur.
COMRADE Vijender Sharma, secretariat member of the CPI(M) Delhi state committee and veteran leader of the university and college teachers’ movement passed away on August 9, 2014 after bravely battling cancer for over eight months. He was 63. His demise is an irreparable loss to both the Party and the university and college teachers’ movement.
THE United States has launched air strikes in Iraq against the forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shams (ISIS). President Obama has ordered this military action in Iraq, the first since its withdrawal of ground troops from the country in 2011. The Islamic extremist forces have been advancing towards Baghdad and Irbil in Kurdistan after occupying a substantial part of northern Iraq. The Obama administration had earlier sent special forces who are operating from two centres in Baghdad and Irbil.