FROM Plato’s Republic till today, republicanism has traversed a long journey. It has been enriched at junctures of the French Revolution and its clarion call for liberty, equality and fraternity. The journey has witnessed major ruptures with the collapse of the Weimar Republic and the advent of fascism as orchestrated by Mussolini and Hitler. The idea of republicanism achieved a new life with the defeat of fascism and the unfurling of the red flag atop the Reichstag.
The political focus in West Bengal has shifted dramatically during the final week of January 2026. What began as a desperate administrative attempt to disrupt the CPI(M) rally in Malda escalated into a widespread, multi-district display of defiance. From the congested Malda flyovers to the 'martyr's soil' of Lalgarh, the Left Front's actions signal more than just a protest; they represent a solemn declaration of a struggle for democratic space in the lead-up to the forthcoming Assembly elections.
THE working class of India has once again sounded the bugle of resistance. The Central Trade Unions (CTUs) have collectively called for a nation-wide General Strike on February 12; the eighth major one since the BJP came to office in 2014. With the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and agricultural workers’ organisations extending unconditional support to the strike, it will not merely be a day of protest, but it is going to be a massive assertion of the toiling masses against the predatory anti-people policies of the RSS led regime.
THE massive two-day march of over 55 Km by 50,000 farmers, which was organised by the CPI(M) from Charoti to Palghar in Maharashtra between January 19 and 21, 2026, ended on the night of January 21 after the Palghar District Collector Dr Indu Rani Jakhar held a seven-hour marathon discussion with a large CPI(M) delegation and finally conceded most of the demands in writing within a time frame.
Fragmentation and segmentation of the production process and scattering of global production locations have brought before class-oriented trade union movement dimensional challenges. The Global South has become intermediate manufacturing or assembling hubs as these being the global hunting ground for extreme exploitation of labour. But brand value addition is controlled by MNCs of the Global North. Side by side, growing precarity of the job market is used as a tool by the capitalist class to vilify the doctrine of class struggle.
The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) came into effect on May 28, 2016, with the President's assent. It was introduced in Parliament as a framework to resolve insolvency proceedings between corporate giants and individuals within a specific timeframe. In 2025, certain amendments to this code were introduced and passed. Under the IBC, if a company goes bankrupt and a resolution is not possible, there are clear procedures to sell the company’s assets through an auction. This is known as the liquidation process.
ALONG with Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry, Assam is going to Assembly poll in March-April this year. The ruling BJP-led front is seeking its third term. On the other side, the anti-BJP forces are gearing up to unseat the ruling parties this time.
ANUSUYA… she is a postgraduate. She belongs to a Scheduled Caste community at Udayarpalayam, a small hamlet in, Ariyalur district.
Subash… he too is a postgraduate. He was born into a Backward Caste community in Arunagiri village, Uthangarai, Krishnagiri district. Both Subash’s and Anusuya’s families had migrated to the industrial town of Tiruppur after failing to find employment in their native villages. Their residences in Tiruppur were close to each other.
AT the recently concluded summit at Davos where the rich and powerful of the world had gathered for their annual jamboree, there was much excitement about Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI of course is not yet so profitable as to be introduced widely, but the capitalists and their backers gathered at Davos believed that the corner would be turned very soon. The question of the unemployment it would generate was raised occasionally but generally brushed aside.