THE Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh is a massive admission and recruitment scam involving key politicians, senior officials and businessmen. The Madhya Pradesh Professional Board (MPPEB), popularly known by its Hindi acronym “Vyapam”, is a government body responsible for conducting several entrance tests in the state. These entrance tests are for recruitment to government jobs and for admission to educational institutes. The scam involved a collusion of undeserving candidates, who bribed politicians and MPPEB officials through middlemen, to secure high ranks in these entrance tests.

IFTAR parties hosted by political parties have become important statements of political importance and ability to attract a large number of prominent Muslims and clerics and, above all, members of the political class.  They have now assumed a new role, that of displaying political alliances and alignments.  All this is accompanied with an ostentatious display of wealth and lavish hospitality quite far removed from what Iftar means to most of those observing the Ramzan fast.  For them it is an occasion to share special moments with family members and friends and also to help those who are le

VETERAN leader of the communist movement and one of the founder leaders of the CPI(M), Comrade N Sankariah turned 94 on July 15. Com Sankariah’s long political career spanning over seven decades included nearly eight years in jail. He is one of the 32 members of the National Council of the Communist Party of India who walked out of the National Council meeting and later formed the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

THE BJP government is caught between its own aggressive postures and the contradictory realities as far as Pakistan is concerned. This is what has emerged from the episode of the joint statement issued after the prime ministers of India and Pakistan met at Ufa in Russia on July 10 and the events thereafter. The Ufa statement signaled the resumption of talks between the two countries. The joint statement talked of the resolve of both sides to discuss all outstanding issues.

PROTEST rallies and demonstrations were held across the country on July 20 on the call of CPI(M) and other Left parties to expose corruption at high levels in the BJP-led central government as well as in various state governments. Thousands of Left activists and supporters took to the streets and expressed their anger against rampant corruption and nepotism of BJP ministers and chief ministers and demanded their resignations.