ELECTION Manifesto of BJP(2014) had declared that “BJP commits highest priority to agricultural growth, increase in farmer's income and rural development”. The five years of BJP rule proves to be a period of betrayal of promises.DOUBLING AGRARIAN DISTRESS INSTEAD OF INCOMESAgricultural growth has been fairly volatile over the last five years falling by 0.2 per cent for 2013-14 to 2014-15, inching up by 0.6 per cent for 2014-15 to 2015-16 and hovering around 2.7 per cent according to provisional figures for 2017-18 to 2018-19.
THE acquittal of Aseemanand (real name Naba Kumar Sarkar) and three others in the Samjhauta train blast case is a shameful reminder that the criminal justice system in India is incapable of bringing terrorists of the extremist Hindutva variety to justice for their crimes.Between 2006 and 2008, there were six terrorist incidents perpetrated by a network of extreme Hindutva groups. Aseemanand, Pragya Thakur and Lt.
FRIENDS of Latin America -India(FOLA-India) organised a seminar titled‘no to war, hands off Venezuela’in continuity to the international stand on ‘Venezuela solidarity campaign’ on March 16, 2019 at Surya Sen Manch in Kolkata.
THE Christchurch mosque attack in New Zealand on March 15, 2019 killed 50 Muslim worshippers, seven of whom were Indians, which attracted immediate united condemnation from the entire nation. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was praised for her mature response to the attack.
A THREE day international conference on ‘Food Sovereignty and Peasants Rights’ was organized at Kathmandu, Nepal by ‘National Farmers Commission’ Government of Nepal, on March 10-12, 2019. 350 delegates attended the conference representing kisan and agricultural workers organizations, experts, government officials, ministers and peoples representatives of Nepal.
AFTER the tremendous success of ‘women wall’ on the new year day of 2019, women in Kerala have held series of meetings called ‘women’s parliament’ in almost every assembly constituency in the state. The women gathered in large numbers in ‘women parliament’ and pledged to oppose the anti-women postures of both BJP and Congress.Leaders of All India Democratic Women’s Association, women leaders of various other democratic organisations addressed the meetings in the assembly constituencies.
THE Indian affiliates of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU), on March 19, organised a workers’ convention with two hundred workers from CITU, AITUC, AIUTUC, and other WFTU affiliates.