THE Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s (SKM) call for a Bharat Bandh on March 26, the day the farmers’ struggle completed four months, and for burning the three hated farm laws on the day of Holi, March 28, received enthusiastic response all across the country.The Bharat Bandh call had been given for the following five demands: Repeal the three farm laws; make law on MSP and procurement; cancel all police cases against farmers; roll back the electricity bill and the pollution bill; and reduce prices of petrol, diesel and gas.The Bharat Bandh got a large response in states like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar P

THE Modi government has made no secret of its intention to hand over India’s public sector to its favoured corporate houses and foreign multinationals. And this is backed not by any economic argument, but rather by its desire to raise resources for government expenditure, thereby betraying both its utter ignorance of economics and its bloody-minded determination to favour its crony corporate houses.The public sector in India emerged out of the anti-colonial struggle.

THE fight being put up by the employees and workers’ unions of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) against its privatisation is inspiring to those unions of public sector units (PSUs) and other establishments which are proposed to be privatised, across the country, said Tapan Sen, CITU general secretary.Addressing a large public meeting, ‘Ukku Karmika Garjana’, organised by the Visakha Ukku Parirakshana Porata Committee, at Trishna grounds in VSP, on March 20, he raised the questioned as to why the centre is interested in the privatisation of the VSP rather than coming up with solutions to

“A second freedom struggle is being waged in the country. It is being waged against a government that is making laws to handover lands owned by peasants and the whole of agriculture to Indian and multinational corporates. It is being waged in Karnataka too.

THE Left Front sounded the poll bugle from the mega rally held at the historic Brigade Parade Ground on February 28. The tone and tenor of the campaign for the elections was set at this rally by CPI(M) general secretary, Sitaram Yechury when he said in no uncertain terms that the people of Bengal did not need a government that divides people based on their religion, caste or creed nor do they need a government that indulges in looting the common people. He said Bengal needs a government that will work for the welfare of the poorest of the poor, the exploited, and the marginalised people.