THE presidential council of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) has called for a worldwide struggle against unemployment and for the strengthening of solidarity actions in the struggle against capitalist and imperialist exploitation.
The meeting of the council, which is the highest policy making body of the only class oriented international trade union organisation, was held in Rome on February 14 and 15, 2014. The meeting was hosted by the USB of Italy and presided by WFTU president Muhammad, Shaaban Azouz, who is also the president of GFTU, Syria.
THE CPI(M) and CPI units in Tamilnadu has decided to face the Lok Sabha elections jointly.
The DMK’s hope of roping the CPI into its alliance for the Lok Sabha polls was dashed late on March 10 with the CPI’s executive committee backing the CPI(M)’s decision to go it alone in the state.
After the ruling AIADMK went back on its announcement on contesting with the two Left parties, the latter decided to work together. However, the media scooped that there were possibilities of an alliance between the DMK and the Left. DMK chief M Karunanidhi also expressed his willingness.
THE All India Coordination Committee of Mid-Day Meal Workers, affiliated to the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), has strongly condemned the injustice meted out by the UPA government to the 26 lakh mid-day meal workers of the country.
IN a letter written to the editor of Malayala Manorama on March 8, 2014, Hannan Mollah, former Lok Sabha member and a member of the CPI(M), took strong exception to a news story published by the said paper regarding the candidature of Uluberia Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal. The text of the letter is reproduced here.
“This is to invite your attention to the report appeared in the Malayala Manorama daily dated March 6, 2014 regarding the candidature of Uluberia Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal, which I represented for eight terms.
WHILE participating in the discussion on the chief minister’s grants in the Jammu & Kashmir legislative assembly on Saturday, February 22, CPI(M) MLA, Mohd Yousuf Tarigami criticised the state and central governments for taking the state legislature for granted and ignoring even its unanimous resolutions, which is sending dangerous signals across the state.
Below we reproduce the slightly abridged speech given by General Raul Castro Ruz, first secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba’s Central Committee and president of the Councils of State and Ministers, during the closing session of the 20th Congress of the Cuban Workers’ Federation (CTC), on February 22, 2014.
Subheadings have been added.
THROUGH a statement issued from New Delhi on March 7, 2014, the Bank Employees Federation of India (BEFI) has taken exception to a recent press report, quoting the union finance minister, P Chidambaram, as saying that the profits of banks are not for employees’ wages only.
IN the context of the Andhra Pradesh State Reorganisation Bill being passed and given assent to by the President of India, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has formed two separate committees for the two states that will come into existence on 02nd June 2014. The Telangana state committee of the Party has been formed with 42 members and the Andhra Pradesh state commiittee of the Party with 44 members.
THE Haryana state unit of the CPI(M) has decided to focus its election campaign in the state on the livelihood issues of the people for which the party and the mass fronts, led by the party leaders, have been fighting tirelessly round the year. Stating this decision on March 8, CPI(M) Central Secretariat member Nilotpal Basu emphasised that the toiling people had very high stakes in the outcome of the forthcoming parliament elections. He said that the game of defections was at its worst and there was hardly anything to choose between the Congress and the BJP.
MRS Vasundhara Raje Sindhia of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took oath as the chief minister of Rajasthan on December 13, 2013, in front of the Vidhan Sabha building, after the BJP got 163 seats in the house of 200 members. This oath ceremony was also attended by BJP national president Rajnath Singh and prime minister aspirant Narendra Modi.