MAHARASHTRA: DYFI-SFI March against Unemployment & Commercialisation of Education

THOUSANDS of youth and students thronged the streets of Mumbai on Martyrs Day, March 23, 2018, demanding decent employment and opportunities for education. Hundreds of women demanding school admission for their children as per the RTE Act joined them.

Stop Data Breach & Violation of Privacy

CPI(M) Polit Bureau has issued the following statement on March 24THE exposure of how a UK firm, Cambridge Analytics has been accessing Facebook data for use to influence voters shows how democracy is at risk from parties that have money and can use big data to influence elections.It has also been revealed that there is an Indian link with a company associated with Cambridge Analytics conducting such operations in India.The IT Minister Ravishankar Prasad’s statement about the data breach in Facebook is hypocritical in the absence of the government creating a legal

File Review Petition on Dilution of PoA Act

CPI(M) Polit Bureau) has issued the following statement on March 23THE Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) expresses concern about the judgement delivered by the Supreme Court that has diluted the provisions of the Prevention of Atrocities (SC/ST) Act.The judgement delivered by a bench of Justice UU Lalit and Adarsh Goel ignored the social reality of caste oppression, harassment and atrocities perpetrated on dalits on a daily basis.

Brutal Police Violence on Protesting Students of JNU!

THE brutal atrocities unleashed by Delhi police on JNU students who were peacefully marching towards Parliament Street on March 23, is a common knowledge now. This is despite the peaceful nature of the march. Despite the presence of more than 2000 students, JNU students taking cue from Kisan long march in Maharashtra, was careful to not disturb commuters and traffic. Throughout the march, students walked along the side of the road, allowing for the free flow of traffic.

CPI(M) Gujarat State Conference

THE 22nd Gujarat state conference of the CPI(M) was held in Rajkot on March 24-25. The conference gave a call for strengthening Left and democratic forces to defeat the divisive politics of the RSS-BJP.CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury and central secretariat member Ashok Dhawale attended the conference. The venue was named after legendary Communist leader Subodh Mehta.

Uttar Pradesh: Exonerating Communal Rioters

THE expectation that the Yogi Adityanath government of Uttar Pradesh would maintain the rule of law in the state has been futile. All doubts regarding this were completely dispelled by the recent announcement by the chief minister that he has initiated action to take back 131 cases that had been filed during the vicious and bloody communal carnage witnessed in Muzaffarnagar and neighbouring districts in 2013. These include 12 cases of murder, many cases of attempt to murder, dacoity and other heinous crimes. All the accused belong to the Hindu community and include ministers, MLAs, MPs

Undermining Parliament

EditorialTHE second half of the budget session of parliament has become notable for the manner in which the Modi government has subverted parliamentary norms and procedures. Since the session began on March 5, there were disruptions in both the houses of parliament on a daily basis. The main reason for this being the protest launched by the YSR Congress Party and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) which was till then a partner of the ruling NDA on special category status for Andhra Pradesh. There were other issues such as the Punjab National Bank scam which also agitated the m

Observe Protest Day on April 2: DSMM

THE Dalit Shoshit Mukti Manch (DSMM), in a statement issued on March 28, has called upon all its units throughout the country to observe protest day on April 2 against the dilution of the provisions of the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act because of the ruling of a two member bench of the Supreme Court. The DSMM supports the demand to include the PoA in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. This will effectively protect the PoA from any dilution.

TELANGANA: BLF is for Rebellion against Caste and Gender Oppression

CASTE dominance is a pest. It is the darling child of Manuvad. Manuvad suppressed not only dalits and weaker sections but also women. Suppression of women was practised in Hinduism through Manuvad but male dominance is there in all religions. Male dominance is there within the caste system also. There is no equality for women.Women do not have an equal status in any class or social section. Dominant castes treat dalits as slaves. Capitalists exploit the labour by treating them as slaves. Surprisingly these ‘slaves’ treat their wives as their slaves.

Commoditisation and the Public Sphere

CENTRAL to liberalism is a distinction between two spheres, the sphere of the market (or more generally of the economy) where individuals and firms interact to exchange their wares; and the sphere of public discourse where individuals interact as citizens of a polity to debate and determine the actions of the State. The importance that liberals attach to this second sphere was underscored by Walter Bagehot, the nineteenth century British essayist of liberal persuasion, who had lauded democracy as “government by discussion”.

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