A Vacuous Tribute

THE winter session of parliament is to begin with a two-day special sitting to observe the 125th birth anniversary of Dr B R Ambedkar and the adoption of the draft Constitution on November 26, 1949. There is no doubt that the legacy of Dr Ambedkar, the champion of social equality and one of the main architects of the Constitution should be commemorated. But the question is, how it is to be done.

DYFI Marches Ahead to Safeguard the Secular Fabric of Kerala

TENS and thousands of white clad young men and women have been marching on each street of Kerala to reach the people in every nook and corner to spread the message to re-build the new Kerala. Two jathas named as Secular March started from the two ends of the state and are scheduled to culminate in a massive youth rally at Ernakulam on December 5.

In the backdrop of all communal and casteist forces ganging up with an evil design to destroy the secular fabric of Kerala society, the main demand raised by the Secular March is not to turn Kerala into a lunatic asylum.

Defiance, Resistance Mark Jathas in West Bengal

STATEWIDE Jathas of BPMO (Bengal Platform of Mass Organisations) created huge impact among people in West Bengal. Jathas braved ferocious attacks from the ruling party, direct threats from senior ministers of the state and marched through thousands of villages and towns. The massive campaign brought forth sharply the burning issues of the people and mobilised tens of thousands in the streets.

Statewide Jathas Receive Massive Response

STATEWIDE Jathas by Bengal Platform of Mass Organisations have elicited tremendous response in West Bengal. Tens of thousands of people have participated in the local level jathas in all districts of the state, making it already the biggest campaign programme by Left mass organisations in the last four and half years in the state.

Incessant Rains Batter Several Parts of Tamilnadu

HEAVY rains battered Chennai city and other parts of the state and has thrown life out of gear in several parts of Tamilnadu. People of these areas are having a harrowing experience under water logging conditions. Water has seeped into hundreds of houses, roads fully submerged under the flood water. A team under the leadership of the Polit Bureau member and state secretary of CPI(M) G Ramakrishnan visited the flood affected villages and rendered assistance to the affected people. Because of the incessant rains November 8-9 in Cuddalore district, several villages were worst affected by

Modi Faces Protests during UK Visit

THERE has been growing unease and apprehension among the 1.7 million Indian diaspora in Britain ever since it became known in July that Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi would be visiting the UK. The visit has evoked mixed emotions and polarised opinions. This was the first visit in over a decade by an elected Prime Minister of India, representing 1.2 billion people, to the shores of Britain. Ordinarily, this would have been universally welcomed. But the fact that this individual was the controversial figure from Gujarat, was most unwelcome.

Syria: Decisive Russian Role

WITH the West standing aside and preferring to be a virtual bystander as the carnage in Syria goes on unabated and the refugee crisis intensifying, Moscow has decided to step into the void to find a solution. Russian political support and military aid have been crucial for the government in Damascus as it withstood the military onslaught that was financed by the West and its allies. In the last two years, the situation on the ground has changed with American trained Syrian militias either surrendering or decamping with their weaponry to the Islamic State (IS) or the Jabhat al Nusra.

CITU Denounces Further Opening of FDI

THE Centre of Indian Trade Unions in a statement issued on November 12 has denounced the reckless moves of the Narendra Modi government in liberalising foreign direct investment in numerous sectors of the economy including core and strategic sectors of economy, much to the detriment of national interests. Strategic sectors like defence (49 percent), airlines (49 percent), banking (74 percent for both FDI and FII) and media & broadcasting(100 percent) are being opened up to FDI through automatic approval route.

Actual Flood Damages Underrated

THE financial package announced by the prime minister of India and details given by the chief minister of J&K reveal that this package has nothing substantial to offer to the flood hit people and traders and the hype given to the paltry amount meant for flood relief is a cruel joke with the devastated families and the business establishment.

Plight of Sharecroppers in Odisha

IN today’s Odisha, hardly a day passes without a report of farmer suicide. The total number of farmers committing distressed suicide has crossed 70 in the past three months. However, state ministers and ruling party spokespersons, barring a few exceptions, are engaged in refuting and ridiculing such reports. Collectors of the districts, where farmer suicides have occurred, too have joined their political masters to reject such reports.

Search form

Peoples Democracy newsletter