AS will appear in the same issue separately, a delegation comprising of CPI(M) and CPI leadership met the  Election Commission of India on March 25. In their submission to the ECI the Left leaders have reiterated their apprehensions regarding a free and fair election in Tripura which is scheduled to be held in two phases on April 11 and 18. As we go to press the process of scrutiny and withdrawal of nomination papers for the West Tripura parliamentary constituency will be over.

Part I THE five years rule of the BJP government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been an unmitigated disaster for the country and the people.These elections are the most crucial in the history of independent India.  What is at stake is the very future of the secular democratic republic, as enshrined in our Constitution.  The future is at stake, because, the BJP-led NDA government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, promotes the unprecedented sharpening of communal polarisation severely disrupting the harmony of our rich, diverse social fabric.

THE Indian History Congress, the major forum of Indian historians since 1935, was due to meet for its 79th session at the invitation of Savitribai Phule University, Pune, on December 28-30, 2018. About 1,500 members had paid delegate fee of Rs 2000 each by December 1, the last day set for it. But on December 10, barely a fortnight before the session was to be held; the host university announced that they would not be able to hold the session.

ELECTION Manifesto of BJP(2014) had declared that “BJP commits highest priority to agricultural growth, increase in farmer's income and rural development”. The five years of BJP rule proves to be a period of betrayal of promises.DOUBLING AGRARIAN DISTRESS INSTEAD OF INCOMESAgricultural growth has been fairly volatile over the last five years falling by 0.2 per cent for 2013-14 to 2014-15, inching up by 0.6 per cent for 2014-15 to 2015-16 and hovering around 2.7 per cent according to provisional figures for 2017-18 to 2018-19.