ABOUT 10,000 men and women from several districts of Maharashtra, leaders and activists of various Left, democratic and secular political parties and mass organisations, marched nearly seven kilometres from the Veer Jijamata Udyan (Rani Baug) at Byculla to the historic Azad Maidan at Fort in Mumbai, on March 11, 2015, to denounce the dastardly assassination of Comrade Govind Pansare, senior CPI leader and Marxist intellectual.
In Rajya sabha, this week the rail budget was discussed. Lok Sabha discussed the general budget.While discussing the matter regarding the losses of crops due to unprecedented heavy rains and hailstorm, CPI(M) leader in Rajya Sabha, Sitaram Yechury said the situation of the agricultural farmers is very serious. In this last 20 days, in West Bengal, almost 20 farmers who have been producing potatoes committed suicide as the price of potatoes declined. The government must have to take some concrete measures to protect our agricultural farmers.
THE three-day 21st Assam State Conference of the CPI(M) was held in Tezpur on March 15-17. The conference started with a massive open rally on March 15 at the Collegiate School ground in the heart of Tezpur. Braving scorching heat, about eight thousand people attended the rally which was presided over by CPI(M) state secretariat member Hemen Das.
THE 5TH Chhattisgarh state conference of CPI(M) was held successfully from March 15 to March 17 in the Steel City of Bhilai. The conference gave a call to intensify movements on issues facing the people on their day-to-day lives, build struggle on the question of land, fight against the communal agenda of the ruling party both in the state and at the Centre, and to make the Party capable of becoming a power to intervene actively in issues concerning the people.
The following is the statement issued by the All India Kisan Sabha on March 25, 2015.THE All India Kisan Sabha condemns the callous attitude of the prime minister towards the massive wave of protests against the Land Acquisition Act Amendment Bill 2015 across the country. The prime minister through his ‘Mann Ki Baat’ sought to convey a distorted picture on the new amendments to the Land Acquisition Act by twisting facts. The prime minister in effect has misused the official media to spread lies and mislead the farmers.
THE meeting of the secretariat of the CITU held on March 23-24, 2015 at New Delhi, unanimously adopted a resolution calling upon the working people to prepare for countrywide united strike to decisively resist the brazenly anti-people and anti-national onslaught of the corporate-servile BJP led government on the national economy, the natural resources and life and livelihood of the common people, much to the detriment of national interests. The secretariat noted that the BJP regime is a regime of all round attack on the labour rights of the workers and land-rights of the farmers; attack on
THE casual and contract workers engaged in the BSNL, numbering around one lakh, will go on a two days strike on April 21-22, 2015, demanding the government action for the revival of BSNL and also demanding regularisation of casual contract workers and implementation of minimum wage, social security measures like the EPF, ESI, gratuity etc. These workers are being brutally exploited and the labour laws of the country are not at all implemented for them.
The regular employees are also going on strike demanding revival of BSNL on the same days.
THE nationwide secret ballot to identify majority unions in Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) for representation in the Powergrid National Bipartite Committee (PNBC) was held on March 16. PNBC is the national forum in PGCIL where negotiations for long-term settlements on all issues concerning wages and service conditions take place and work-related issues are discussed and settled. It is a regular standing forum. Out of the total 26 seats for which secret ballot took place, CITU has won 14 seats while BMS and INTUC have won seven and five seats, respectively.
THERE is a view even in Left circles in the advanced capitalist countries that imperialism as a conceptual category has lost its relevance in the era of globalisation.