Chauvanistic Nationalism and ‘Gujarati Asmita’ Replace ‘Vikas’ in the BJP Poll Campaign

WHEN the slogan of ‘Vikas’ does not work, resort to the son of the soil argument to enchant people: this is the tenor that Narendra Modi seems to have adopted as he and his cabinet ministers aggressively campaign in Gujarat at the apex of the poll campaign. The BJP is not only invoking Gujarati nationalism, but is also accusing the opposition which is questioning the Gujarat model of development of siding with ‘terrorists’ and ‘casteist’ people.

GUJARAT : BJP Resorts to Casteism & Communal Polarisation to Win Elections

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi’s famed and favourite ‘development’ agenda has taken a back seat in Gujarat as the state heads for a crucial assembly election that may determine the course of India’s political discourse for the next few years. Despite shouting from roof tops about ‘development’ continuing to be its main agenda, the ruling BJP and its chief campaigner Modi are keeping no stone unturned to deploy the age-old deadly concoction of casteism and communal polarisation to win the elections. Obviously unsettled by the opposition Congress cobbling up a caste combination akin to the KHAM

The 14th Congress of the Communist Party of Brazil

THE 14th Congress of the Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB) took place in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil from November 17-19, 2017. Myself, on behalf of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and Benoy Viswam on behalf of CPI attended the Congress.547 delegates representing the 60,000 members of the PCdoB took part in the Congress.

Banks and Non-Performing Assets

WHAT exactly constitutes a non-performing asset (NPA) of a bank is not easy to determine. Since banks tend to roll over credit to borrowers, whether the request for such a roll over arises in the normal course of business or owing to a fundamental inability to pay back the loan, is difficult to decide. The tendency of late therefore has been to see NPAs as an extreme case of a wider category called “stressed assets” which are defined according to certain criteria.The problem of NPAs has arisen in a serious form in recent times because of the change in the nature of banking in the country.

Anil Ambani Emerges from the Shadows of Modi’s Rafale “Deal”

MODI’S Rafale “Deal” has raised a number of questions. How is it that the need for 126 Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) for the Indian Air Force, suddenly dropped to only 26 in three years? How is it that the price per aircraft rose from $81 million in 2012, to $243 million in 2015? Or by three times per aircraft, even taking inflation into account. What changed in the intervening three years between the two deals – the UPA’s in 2012 and Modi’s in 2015? And even more curious, who took these decisions and how?

Pay Arrears to Sugarcane Farmers Immediately

AFTER the successful historic rally of farmers on November 20, the All India Sugarcane Farmers Coordination Committee met at Kisan Sabha central office in New Delhi in the evening on November 20, and took stock of the situation of sugarcane farmers in different cane growing states. Representatives of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana participated in the meeting.

AIDWA Demands Action against Vigilante Groups

THE All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), in a statement issued on November 22, has strongly condemned the threats and acts of violence unleashed by right wing vigilante groups like the Rajput Karni Sena which has prevented the release of the film ‘Padmavati’ on the scheduled date. The parallel system of ‘goonda raj’ being perpetrated by such extra constitutional groups has been exacerbated by the felicity with which several constitutionally elected state governments have succumbed to these pressures.

25th Anniversary of Demolition of Babri Masjid

DECEMBER 6 marks the completion of 25 years of the demolition of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya. This was a momentous day for India. What was demolished was not just a 16th century mosque, but it was a direct challenge to the Indian Constitution and its secular-republican values.December 6, 1992 can be seen as the milestone from where began the march of the Hindutva forces for political power. 25 years later, those forces are ensconced in the seat of power in Delhi.What were the deceitful moves by the RSS-led forces then? They betrayed a solemn oath given to the Supreme Court that whateve

World Festival of Youth & Students: Carrying Forward the Legacy of Anti-Imperialist Struggle

THE 19th World Festival of Youth and Students (WFYS) was held in October in Sochi, Russia. More than 20,000 delegates from more than 150 countries participated in the festival and pledged to continue their relentless struggle to achieve peace, solidarity and social justice, with uncompromising fight against all imperialist tendencies in the present world order.This year's festival was coinciding with the centenary celebrations of the Great October Revolution and it was because of this precise reason that the International Preparatory Committee (IOC) decided to hold the festival in Russia.

TAMIL NADU: A Literary Voice of the Village Falls Silent

MELANMAI Ponnusamy, a doyen among the progressive writers in Tamil Nadu and a Sahitya Akademi awardee, passed away in Chennai on October 30 after a brief illness. He was the founder of the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers and Artistes Association (TNPWAA) in the 1970s.Hailing from Melanmarai Nadu of Virudhunagar district, Ponnusamy studied up to Class V and thereafter along with his younger brother Karikalan went to Thanjavur where the duo supplied sweetmeats to shops. After some time, they went back to their native village where they opened a grocery.

Search form

Peoples Democracy newsletter