BIHAR chief minister and JD(U) leader, Nitish Kumar, has somersaulted again. After leaving the BJP and forming a Mahagathbandhan government with the RJD in August 2022, Nitish has now defected back to the side of the BJP.In India’s parliamentary history, Nitish Kumar has created a notorious record of switching sides five times and being sworn in as chief minister, nine times.This latest U-turn has taken place in the most curious circumstances.  Since July last year, Nitish was ostensibly engaged in putting together an anti-BJP opposition grouping.

THE Tamil translation of the book  Keeping Up the Good Fight by online news portal NewsClick’s founding editor Prabir Purkayastha who has been booked under the draconian clauses of UAPA, titled Porattam Thodarkiradhu was released in Chennai on January 26, 2024 – the 75th Republic day.

THE 38th West Bengal state conference of SFI was held in Malda from January 22-24, 2024. The conference underscored that the SFI has to fight more vigorously against the way BJP and RSS are playing politics in the name of religion and conspiring to destroy India's syncretic culture and modern education system. In actuality BJP aims to steal the dreams of students from marginalised poor families and create a situation in which the right to quality education will fall exclusively into the hands of the rich. The National Education Policy 2020 is doing just that.

ISRAEL’S genocidal war – despite the case opened at the International Court of Justice – continues unabated. Hundreds of Palestinians are killed each day, many of them children. Key infrastructure – including universities and hospitals – are being bombed and demolished, as Israel lays out its future for Gaza: a region of the Occupied Palestine Territory which Israel is seeking to ethnically cleanse (there is even a plan to expel Palestinians to Rwanda, following a policy that Israel has had in place for deporting asylum seekers since 2017).

CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on January 19THE Government of India has issued an “office memorandum”, declaring that all government offices, central institutions and industrial establishments will remain closed till 2.30 pm on January 22, to “enable employees to participate in the celebrations for Ram Lalla Pran Pratishtha at Ayodhya”.  It is reported that state governments led by the BJP have taken similar steps. This is yet another step to directly involve the government and State in what should be a purely religious function.