Thinking Together

Question: Some social activists and intellectuals have written to the CPI(M) to take steps to forge the unity of all secular and democratic forces in Uttar Pradesh to fight the BJP in the forthcoming assembly elections. They have also appealed to small parties not to put up candidates which can divide the anti-BJP vote. What is the Party’s response to this appeal?--Rakesh Singh, DelhiAnswer: The outcome of the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, which is the biggest state in the country, is naturally of political importance.

Working Class Leader Released From Jail after 16 Years

SENIOR trade union leader, R Sreenivas was released on August 16, after spending 16 years of jail life in Bangalore Central Prison in the ‘BPL Case’. ‘BPL Case’ continues to be an iconic case in the contemporary history of the trade union movement in the post-liberalisation period.4000 workers worked in the ten industrial units of the BPL on the outskirts of Bangalore. There was no union in the factory until 1998, when workers organised under the banner of BPL Group of Companies Karmikara Sangha, affiliated to CITU.

TMC Govt Waging War against Siliguri

THE government of West Bengal has adopted a vindictive and hostile attitude towards the Siliguri Municipal Corporation and the Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad, both being run by the opposition parties led by the CPI(M). The TMC-led government has unleashed a systematic economic blockade against the two civic bodies since they decisively failed to win a majority there. The PWD of the state government, chaired by Firhad Hakim, has withheld the legitimate dues that these civic bodies are entitled to.

Workers Strike Back September 2 Strike Demands Explained

ON September 2, 2016, crores of workers across the country will go on strike demanding an end to the all-round attack launched by the government against their lives, livelihood and dignity. Representing the interests of the big capitalists, both domestic and foreign, the Modi government has been trying to fool the working people with false promises even as it supports and actively imposes a policy that is snatching away jobs, looting family budgets, disarming workers of their rights and opening the doors to harsher exploitation.

Farmers Fight to Protect Their Lands

Farmers have to make arrangements for crops before arrival of a season. But the Telangana government made plans to grab soon-to-be-cultivated lands by bringing them under the Telanganaku Haritha Haram programme. Police and forest department officials threatened farmers and occupied their lands in many areas. The government began planting saplings on podu lands and attacked the cultivators who tried to hold onto their lands. To oppose the government move, Adivasis and the poor have formed land protection committee in every village.

Modi Govt, FDI Policy & Pharmaceuticals

The central government’s decision to allow up to 74 percent foreign direct investment (FDI) as brownfield investment in the domestic pharmaceutical companies for their acquisition by the foreign firms through the automatic route has serious implications for the development of pharmaceutical industry and public health in India.

Free, Free Our Universities..!!

THE new academic year has begun in Indian universities with signals of authoritarian highhandedness in different forms. The beginning of any academic activity is supposed to be fear free and must be in an atmosphere of freedom. However, the news coming from campuses from EFLU to JNU, situated in diverse locations in the country offer stern warnings regarding what is in store for the new students.

The Una Dalit Struggle and What it Holds for the Future

ON July 11, 2016 four young dalits were publicly flogged and paraded around in Una, Gujarat for skinning a dead cow in broad daylight. Most inhuman kind of torture has been meted to people on the pretext of cow protection and the perpetrators in their bravado have uploaded their brutal acts on social media with utmost impunity. The incident sparked widespread protests in the state against their act and transformed into a movement for dalit rights.

Fight on, for Social Justice

Caste has been playing a very dominant, debilitating role in our society since long. “Turn in any direction you like, caste is the monster that crosses your path. You cannot have political reform; you cannot have economic reform, unless you kill this monster”. Recalling these words of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar, one can say that the condition of social justice in our country is woefully bad. Rising instances of caste discrimination, untouchability, attacks on dalits and adivasis reflect this situation. Caste rigidities have made the lives of dalits and adivasis difficult.

Don't Interfere with Judiciary

THE chief justice of India, T S Thakur, has recently warned that the Supreme Court may have to make a judicial intervention to get the names of High Court judges recommended by the collegium and pending with the government approved. For months now, there has been a stalemate between the government and the higher judiciary over filling up the vacancies in the High Court. The Supreme Court collegium had recommended 74 names for appointment as High Court judges. These have not been cleared by the government for appointment yet. The standoff between the Modi government and the judiciary com

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