The Gita Mystery

THE BJP is treading a familiar path. This time its agenda is to declare the Bhagavad Gita the 'National Book'. This demand has been voiced by senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj, presently the country's foreign minister. In her statement to the media, one gets two terms - 'National Book' and 'National Scripture'. Call a rose by any name it will spread the same scent. Or rather, in reality, what will spread is the stench. Baba Ramdev and the newly-elected Chief Minister of Haryana have supported Sushmaji with their hands held high.

The Week in Parliament

THE week-long impasse over Union minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti's controversial remarks ended in the Upper House after the government agreed to let Chairman Hamid Ansari make a general statement on behalf of House appealing ministers, MPs and leaders to "maintain civility in public discourse" and uphold constitutional values. After the statement, the House went ahead with the scheduled work.

TAMIL NADU: After Nokia, now it is Foxconn

NARENDRA Modi’s ‘Make in India’ is now turning into ‘Pack from India’.

Yes. After Nokia, now it is Foxconn.

FIH India Private Limited, formerly known as Foxconn India Limited, a global company and subsidiary of Hon Hai Group based in Taiwan, has made it official that it will suspend production on December 24 after finishing off residual inventory in the SEZ at Sriperumbudur near Chennai. Its action comes as a sequel to Nokia's decision to stop production at its Sriperumbudur factory.

Lima Climate Summit: Bad Signs for Paris 2015

ANYONE following the climate negotiations, especially since the disastrous pattern set at Copenhagen in 2009 and even more so given the tepid progress made since the wishy-washy Durban summit in 2011, could have seen it coming. There were low expectations from the Lima Conference of Parties (COP 20) to begin with and, true to form, the summit ended with a whimper of a statement, low on ambition on all fronts, emissions reduction, finance and technology, but full of statements with dark portents for the future.

The Meaning of Neo-Liberal “Development”

NARENDRA Modi is “marketed” these days as the “development” man. The BJP’s electoral successes, such as they are, are attributed to the fact that everyone wants “development”, which the other political formations, caught up in appeasing this or that “sectional group”, are alleged to have been ignoring until now. And taking a leaf out of Modi’s book, others too have started talking about prioritising “development”.

Comrade P R Menon

VETERAN leader of the railway workers of India, former general secretary and president of the National Railway Mazdoor Union (NRMU), former vice president of the All India Railwaymen’s Federation (AIRF), one of the senior most members of the CPI(M) Maharashtra state committee and chairman of the Comrade B T Ranadive Memorial Trust, Comrade P R Menon passed away in Mumbai at the age of 81 on December 5, 2014.

WEST BENGAL: Interrogate CM Immediately, Demands CPI(M)

THE Central Bureau of Investigation has arrested transport minister of West Bengal and TMC leader Madan Mitra for “cheating and misappropriation of funds” in connection with the Saradha chit fund scam on December 12, 2014. He is the first minister of West Bengal since independence who has been arrested by the central agency for such huge corruption.Mamata Banerjee's government and Saradha chit fund company have become synonymous.

TELANGANA: Left Parties Launch Bus Jathas to Study Farmers’ Suicides

TEN Left and communist parties of Telangana have launched two bus jathas that traversed across the state of Telangana highlighting the need for immediate measures from the state government to prevent the spate of farmer suicides. Ever since the new state came into existence on June 2 this year, over 450 farmers took their lives in Telangana. The Left parties have declared that both private loans and the policies of the government are responsible for these suicides.

The Cuban Five Are Free

The Following is the statement issued by Cuban President Raul Castro on December 17, 2014
FELLOW countrymen,
Since my election as president of the state council and council of ministers, I have reiterated on many occasions our willingness to hold a respectful dialogue with the United States on the basis of sovereign equality, in order to deal reciprocally with a wide variety of topics without detriment to the national independence and self-determination of our people.

Parliament impasse: Modi Govt Obduracy

THE current impasse in the parliament, with the Rajya Sabha not functioning for the third consecutive day, as we go to the press, is, once again, primarily due to the obduracy of this Modi government in not giving the House even a modicum of assurance on contentious issues.

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