MAHARASHTRA: AARM Holds Second State Conference

“There are 12 crore tribals in the country. There is a large tribal population in 170-175 districts in the country. The SECC survey of 2011 has shown that tribals are the most backward sections of society. 65 percent of tribals are landless. The income of 90 percent of tribals is less than Rs 5000 per month. Why has such a situation arisen even after 70 years of independence? This is because of the disastrous policies of successive governments, and the current BJP regime is the worst in this regard.“Tribals have lived in the jungles and mountains since generations.

Thinking Together

These days, when I view the electronic media and when I come across many of my fellow comrades, I get the impression that we have failed to impress the common people and raise their basic problems. Have we become merely a force which reacts to developments?S BaruahThe issue you have raised has many aspects.Firstly, when it comes to the electronic media, which is mainly owned by corporates and business interests, the views and the activities of the Party are rarely covered.

Strategic Failure in Pakistan Policy

THE beheading of two soldiers, one from the army and the other from the Border Security Force, within the Line of Control in the Poonch sector, is a brutal provocation. Whether the killing and mutilation of the two soldiers was done by the Pakistani army, or by extremists who crossed over with their assistance, it is a barbaric act which goes against all military norms and the Geneva Convention.There has to be a measured response from the Indian army.

THE WEEK IN PARLIAMENT

IN the concluding week of the Budget Session, Parliament passed some important bills. The Lok Sabha passed the National Commission for Backward Classes (Repeal) Bill and the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Third Amendment) Bill. Speaking on this, P Karunakaran said certain communities in the country have been suffering from extreme social, educational and economic backwardness. Giving the OBC Commission the constitutional status is a welcome step. The government should ensure that posts of the Chairman, Vice-Chairman and Members of such commissions do not remain vacant.

TAMIL NADU: Huge Rally of CITU Demands Minimum Wage, Abolition of Contract System

THOUSANDS of workers from across Tamil Nadu took part in a rally in Chennai on April 4, demanding a curb on price rise, check on rising unemployment, abolition of the contract system and equal pay for equal work, an end to violence against women at work place, and a minimum wage of Rs 18,000, among others.

‘Fill up long standing vacancies in various departments’

Below we publish the remarks of Manik Sarkar, chief minister of Tripura at the third meeting of the governing council of NITI Aayog on April 23 in New Delhi.RATIONALISATION OF CENTRALLY SPONSORED SCHEMES All central assistance to state plan for north-eastern states should be continued on 90:10 basis. The process of release of the central share should be simplified. Government of India may release its share in two installments, the first release in April and the next after six months.

WEST BENGAL: Mass Rallies in Siliguri and Coochbehar

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury called upon the people of West Bengal to fight simultaneously against the BJP and the TMC to restore democracy in the state and defend unity of the people. Yechury attended massive rallies in Siliguri and Coochbehar and also addressed CPI(M) workers of the Darjeeling hill areas in Kurseong.In Siliguri and Coochbehar, Yechury alleged linkage between the TMC and the BJP and said, both are playing the card of polarisation. While the BJP is using majority communalism, TMC by helping minority communal forces, is actually giving strength to the BJP.

BIHAR: Rising Miseries of the People

BJP has acquired the most aggressive posture and after Uttar Pradesh, Bihar is the next target, where it wants to expand its activities by fomenting communal trouble in different parts of the state. Nawadsh, Bhagalpur, Madhubani, Rohtas, Darbhanga have experienced such nefarious activities by the RSS and its affiliates but they have failed to ignite a fire.Ramnavmi was celebrated in such an aggressive way which was not seen before. Swords, spears and other such weapons were openly displayed during Ramnavmi processions all across Bihar. There is fear among the minorities.

Peerless Employees Hold Dharna against RBI’s Moves

THE All India Peerless Employees’ Union (AIPEU) of the Peerless General Finance and Investment Company Ltd, conducted a day long dharna programme at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on April 7, opposing the move taken by the Reserve Bank of India against the company. Hundreds of employees and their family members throughout the country participated in the dharna enthusiastically and shouted slogans against the move taken by RBI to close down the RNBC business of the company and urged the government to take over Peerless company.

Ruling Class Nationalism and Religion: A Counter to Rakesh Sinha

IN his article ‘Not an Imagined Community’ (Indian Express, April 22) the RSS ideologue Rakesh Sinha claims that the Sangh’s conception of nationalism is not invented but is a historical fact which is based on culturally inclusive development of the Indian civilisation. This article (and especially its title) is a direct critique of the idea of the ‘nation’ as an ‘imagined’ political community which was potently described in Benedict Anderson’s seminal text ‘Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism’.

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