More than sixty thousand cadres of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) courted arrest for picketing across the state condemning the anti-people policies of the state and central governments on February 7.The protesters demanded compensation of Rs 10 lakhs to the families of farmers who had committed suicide due to drought in the Cauvery Delta. They also demanded compensation of Rs 25,000 per acre for paddy, Rs 50,000 per acre for banana, plantains and Rs 75,000 per acre for sugar cane farmers as drought relief.

The Bolsheviks under Lenin’s leadership had opposed the participation of Tsarist Russia in the First World War. Lenin had declared the war to be an “imperialist war” which had destroyed the lives of millions of workers who were drafted by the imperialist governments in Europe as soldiers to fight the war.Unlike the Social democrats of various European countries, the Bolsheviks opposed the war and called for an end to the conflict.

WOMEN’S groups have been leading a struggle for 33 percent reservation in the local bodies in Nagaland for the past many years. Elections for 32 urban local bodies (ULBs) notified on December 21, 2016 were to be held after a gap of 16 years. Unfortunately some tribal groups opposed reservation for women under the garb of protecting customary laws. Women who filed their nominations were forced to withdraw and a call was given to boycott the elections.

A NATIONAL convention of central public sector workers was organised in Bengaluru on January 29, jointly by CITU, AITUC, HMS, INTUC, LPF, Joint Action Front (JAF), Bengaluru, and the Coordination Committee of CPSU Unions of Hyderabad. It was attended by more than four hundred leading representatives of trade unions from all the major central public sector undertakings (CPSU) in the country.

THE Union Budget 2017-18 was preceded by the Economic Survey, 2017-18 which comprehensively outlines the long term economic strategy of the government. Though the survey is rigorously researched and referenced by the chief economist, it displays a strong ideological commitment and focus to pushing India into the next phase of neo-liberal reforms, both in terms of policy and societal changes.