IT was truly an amazing struggle, the like of which has not been seen in Maharashtra in recent times. It caught the imagination of the peasantry and the people, and received their unstinted support, not only in the state but all over the country. It received the backing of parties and organisations all across the political spectrum. For the week from March 6-12 that the long march of nearly 200 km lasted, it became the centre of attraction for the entire national and state media, both print and electronic, and also the social media.
A Young Workers Convention was organised by the IT branch of the CPI(M) in Bangalore on March 4. The convention discussed various problems facing the young workers in India’s IT capital and raised concern over their safety and security, especially of women and those working on night shifts. Over 700 young workers from Bangalore, mainly from IT/ITES industry, attended the convention.Prof. C P Chandrashekhar of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) addressed the gathering at Jain University Auditorium.
THE Jawaharlal Nehru University is known widely for its quality performance. JNU has been known to rank high in assessments carried by several accreditation bodies. In fact it received the highest ranking of A++ in the 2017 NAAC Accreditation. Adding further to its academic excellence is the unique character of JNU that boasts of quality education accessible to students belonging to the most deprived classes and social groups and a campus atmosphere where the most progressive ideas are upheld in everyday interactions.
THE three day 22nd state conference of CPI(M) was held at Madhubani (Comrade Umesh Chandra Das Nagar) from March 9-11. Madhubani has been a bastion of Left movement for a long time.The conference started with a big mass meeting in the heart of the town in a school ground which was filled to its capacity. Rural women participated in large members.Party Polit Bureau members S Ramachandran Pillai, Brinda Karat and Hannan Mollah, addressed the gathering.
THE long march by kisans from Nashik to Mumbai has been a historic success. The march by 25,000 kisans began in Nashik on March 6 and traversed nearly 200 kms before arriving at Mumbai on March 12. The numbers kept swelling and by the time Mumbai gathering took place, there were 50,000 people in the march.The kisan march was unique in the way it was conducted with discipline, determination and a collective display of peasant power.
AS soon as trends of assembly election results in Tripura showed victory for the BJP-IPFT alliance, the so-called champions of peace and harmony started to reveal their fangs right from the counting halls, particularly in Sonamura. BJP miscreants held up counting of votes in Dhanpur assembly constituency for about 10 hours and tried to push out outgoing Chief Minister and CPI(M) candidate Manik Sarkar from the counting hall with a view to alter the result in their favour at a stage when he was leading by about 6,000 votes from his nearest BJP contestant.
CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat met the chief election commissioner on March 3rd evening seeking his intervention to ensure that counting is resumed in three booths of 23-Dhanpur assembly constituency of Tripura from where chief minister Manik Sarkar is contesting. Counting was stopped following the BJP’s objections.The CEC has assured that he will take immediate action according to the rules.The CPI(M) leaders brought to the notice of the CEC that counting of polling booths No. 42, 43 and 47 were stopped.
The 25th state conference of West Bengal unit of CPI(M) began at the Pramode Dasgupta Bhawan, renamed after Comrade Mohd. Amin Nagar and Karl Marx Mancha at 10.30 am in the morning on March 5. Party general secretary Sitaram Yechury hoisted the Red Flag as the Internationale was played in the background.
THE results of the Tripura elections have revealed the unholy nexus between conservative tribal identity politics and the RSS led Sangh Parivar. The results show that the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) won 8 out the 9 seats it contested in alliance with the BJP. Out of the 20 Scheduled Tribe seats in the state, 18 were won by the BJP-IPFT alliance. In addition to this, the BJP and the RSS effectively used the regional ‘tribal parties’ in Meghalaya and Nagaland to expand its political domination of the region.