WEST Bengal is witnessing a theatre of the absurd with the game of turncoats. TMC and BJP are exchanging leaders among themselves, desertions have become a monotonous affair. Recently, much hullabaloo has taken place over senior minister ShuvanduAdhikary’s party hopping. Adhikary joined BJP in presence of union home minister, Amit Shah along with other TMC MLAs, MP, and leaders of different regions. In a public meeting in Medinipur, Adhikary accused the chief minister’s nephew as an ‘extortionist’, an allegation which is widely prevalent in the state.
PEASANTS and workers, the two major work-force of the country have shared the same platform, which inevitably may manifest a new stream of movements in the coming days, said Manik Sarkar. More than 500 kisan organisations representing different strata of farmers with different urge and variable interests have come together to one point i.e., repeal Farm Acts and roll back the Electricity Amendment Bill. In spite of the shrewd drive of the ruling power to create division among the kisans, and mud-slinging with fraudulent allegations, their unity has proved to be hard rock.
IN response to the call of Bharat Bandh on December 8 by the farmers' organisations demanding the withdrawal of the three anti-farmer Agri-Laws enacted by BJP government at the centre, since 6 am, normal life came to standstill all over the state in Odisha. Road, rail and air transport services were stopped. Shops, business establishments, financial institutions could not open the shutters.
IN this bitter winter cold, lakhs of farmers have been protesting at the Delhi border against the three Farm Acts. Along with the Farm Acts, farmers are also demanding the rollback of the Electricity (Amendment) Bill 2020. This Bill if passed, is likely to add Rs100,000 crore of additional burden on the farmers and increase their costs of irrigation by 500 per cent.The proposed amendment seeks to remove all cross-subsidies and make all consumers pay the actual cost of supply, or what the amendment calls, the cost to serve the consumer.
THE Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) met online on December 19, 2020 and issued the following statement on December 20.HAIL KERALA VICTORYThe Polit Bureau hailed the victory of the LDF in the local body elections in Kerala and saluted the people of Kerala for once again reposing their faith in the LDF.The LDF has won 11 out of the 14 district panchayats bettering its tally from seven in 2015. In the municipal corporations, out of the six, the LDF has won five, improving from the four it won in 2015.
FIVE Left organisations working among agricultural workers jointly organised the all India convention for dalit rights and against atrocities on dalits in Constitution Club Annexe, New Delhi on December 21, 2020. More than 250 delegates from states who participated in the convention, were from these organisations-All India Agricultural Workers Union, All India Agragami Krishi Shramik Union, Agricultural and Rural Labour Association, Bhartiya Khet Mazdoor Union, All India SamyuktKisan Sabha. The convention was inaugurated by Ramon Magsaysay Awardee, Bezwada Wilson.
THE Indian intelligentsia has an incredible propensity to swallow the self-serving arguments of metropolitan capitalism that are typically supposed to constitute ‘economic wisdom’; and nowhere is this more evident than in the case of India’s food economy. There are a plethora of centre-page articles in newspapers these days suggesting that Indian kisans should move away from producing foodgrains towards other crops, which is actually a demand that metropolitan countries have been making for quite some time.
IN a confronting approach, Arif Mohammad Khan, Governor of Kerala has rejected the proposal of state cabinet to convene a special session of legislative assembly which was scheduled on December 23 in order to discuss the impact of controversial agriculture laws passed by the centre. The governor has disagreed to convene the house on the ground that there are no circumstances to do so. The governor had sought an explanation: what is the need for an emergency session?
IN a letter written to the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on December 18, Pinarayi Vijayan, Chief Minister of Kerala has asked the PM to intervene to stop the orchestrated campaigns by central investigating agencies in Kerala. In the name of investigations, he said, the central investigation agencies are doing roving and fishing expeditions which is tarnishing the image of these agencies.
THE final results of the local body elections in Kerala show the following:1. Unlike what was initially reported, the LDF has won more municipalities than the UDF (40 to 35). With this, the LDF has won or got a majority in all five categories – gram panchayat, block panchayat, district panchayat, municipalities and corporation.2.