Voices against Intolerance

WHAT do you do on an evening of dissent? You dance, you draw, you perform and yes, you sing. For as the vibrant banners, strung at the annual SAHMAT cultural event, reminded us of Bertolt Brecht’s iconic words, “Yes, there will be singing about the dark times.” But you also speak.

JANAM Commemorates Safdar Hashmi’s Life & Works

JANUARY 1, 2016 marked the 27th year of commemorating Safdar Hashmi’s life and works at the site of his attack, and subsequent death from injuries sustained, in Jhandapur by the CITU and the Jana Natya Manch (Janam). The interrupted Halla Bol show finished on January 4 that year, is marked with a new production by Janam each year, along with a roster of revolutionary songs and speeches. This year too the programme, with Badal Saroj as the chief guest, was a careful selection of acts in solidarity with the workers’ movement, with one major exception.

The Deepening Of Autocratic Governance

TWO BJP governments in Rajasthan and Haryana have amended their Panchayati Raj laws to expand the list of disqualifications with regard to who can stand for panchayat elections. These laws lay down the basic minimum educational criteria, two child norm and several other bizarre conditions for a candidate to be eligible for standing for elections. The changes within the Haryana law have been opposed by democratic women’s organisations and the AIDWA even challenged it in the Court.

The Trojan Horse of Free Basics

FACEBOOK is running a high profile, misleading campaign, using full page advertisements, blocks of TV time, hoardings, and Facebook itself. This campaign, estimated to cost more than Rs 400 crore, is promoting Facebook's private, proprietary platform called “Free Basics” and calling its opponents as anti-poor. In India, Facebook has tied up with Reliance Telecommunications for offering this platform.

The Abolition of the NDC

THE Narendra Modi government is winding up the National Development Council, an apex body consisting of the prime minister, the concerned central cabinet ministers, and all state chief ministers together with their concerned cabinet colleagues, which supervised the planning process in the country, gave final approval to the various five-year plans, and met periodically to take stock of issues and policy measures relating to economic development.

Thinking Together

The 21st Congress Political-Tactical Line underlined the fact that the "CPI(M) must adopt flexible tactics to meet swift changes in the political situation". Could you elaborate on this?
N. S. Goswami I-1756 C R Park New Delhi

Assam’s First State-Level Convention of Jute Cultivators Held

ON the initiative of the Assam State Kisan Sabha, the first ever state-level convention of jute cultivators was held in Kolgachia of Barpeta on December 13-14, 2015. The convention began with an open rally on December 13, which was attended by around three thousand people including a large number of jute cultivators. The greater Kolgachia area was once a flourishing place for jute cultivation as the landmass is conducive for the crop. However, the cultivators are not getting remunerative prices any more and many of them have switched over to other crops.

Intensify Fight against Social Evils Sankaraiah tells youth

He is now 94.
It was the same thunder. The entire audience cheered and clapped each and every word of him.
They all were youth, nearly 25,000. They gathered in the city of Dindigul. It was a huge rally of Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) as a grand starting of the 15th state conference of the organisation's Tamil Nadu unit, on the last evening of 2015.
The leader was N Sankaraiah, veteran leader of CPI(M), of the Indian Communist movement and a freedom fighter.

Media Failing To Reflect Reality

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has alleged that Indian media was gradually distancing itself from the reality of the country. Ruling classes have taken nearly total control of the media. Working class and its woes are rarely represented in the mainstream media. There was practically total silence about the all India strike by trade unions on last September 2; media did not even mention a word about the three-lakh strong rally in Delhi. Yechury lamented that farmer suicides and the present famine like conditions in 18 of the 29 states of the country did not make news.

Glowing Tributes Paid to Com Rattan Singh

GLOWING tributes were paid to Comrade Rattan Singh, veteran CPI(M) leader of Punjab who had expired on December 16, 2015 at Chandigarh, at a condolence meeting held at Derabasi on January 5, 2016.A large number of party members , leaders of other political parties from Punjab and hundreds of party sympathisers and people from surrounding villages participated in the condolence meeting . S Ramachandran Pillai, Polit Bureau member of CPI(M) specially reached Derabasi to pay tributes to the veteran leader.

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